


The Campione From Inaba

by The_Distorted_Shadow



Category: Campione! (Anime), Persona Series
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Crossover, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-07
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-03 07:46:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 28,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14564322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Distorted_Shadow/pseuds/The_Distorted_Shadow
Summary: Narukami Yu didn't expect school to be anything close to exciting after leaving Inaba for Tokyo. That is until he found out that the world isn't as it seems and that Izanami wasn't the only god to walk the Earth.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone.  
> For those who haven't read my profile, this is actually something that has already been posted on Fanfiction.net for a while now.  
> And I just decided to post my things here as well.  
> Also, just to be clear, I put the rating as Mature just to be on the safe side more than anything else, so it might not be explicit enough for the rating, but I feel more comfortable with it anyway.  
> But anyway... I suppose I should just shut up and let you get on with the story.

Narukami Yū could do little more than open his eyes upon hearing his alarm clock go off.

He had failed to get a decent night's sleep because of one simple fact… he was starting at yet another new school this year.

Jounan academy was apparently one of the top schools in Tokyo and had required an entrance exam to gain admittance… he had apparently gained a perfect score on it so it was only natural that he would be accepted.

What caused him to lose sleep however was simple.

The previous year of his life.

He had met so many great friends, had learned the love of a younger sister (technically she was his cousin but that was a moot point), had helped save others and had gained the power to fight with beings beyond human ability.

He was pretty sure this new year was probably going to be much less enjoyable than his last one.

Especially given how the climax of his time in Inaba was killing a deity… it also didn't help that he just _knew_ doing so had changed him in some fundamental way he couldn't quite pin down.

Finally getting himself out of his reminiscence he let his hand gently tap the alarm clock beside his bed, he had never been the sort to strike out at it when he woke up so that was perfectly natural.

So it was with bleary eyes that he proceeded to rise from his bed and prepare himself for the day, starting off with a quick shower before heading downstairs to where most parents would greet their children, the kitchen.

It was no surprise to Yū that no one was there to greet him.  Even though he lived with his parents, they both tended to work long hours and rarely spent any time with him outside of their days off.

It reminded him of the time when both Uncle Dojima and Nanako-chan where in hospital… he never got used to it after that happened.

Letting out a sigh he quietly made himself some breakfast, it wasn't good to start the day on an empty stomach after all and he was a pretty good cook if everyones reactions to his bento's was anything to go by.

He at least had the simple satisfaction of knowing that he would NEVER be capable of the 'curry' Yukiko and Chie had made during the camping trip (or as Yosuke liked to call it, 'mystery food X').

That thought brought a sad smile to his face.  It hadn't even been a week and he already missed his friends in Inaba so much that it hurt.  All of his first true bonds had been made there, until then he was always just 'the quiet transfer student' that nobody paid any real attention to, but there he was someone important in the lives of those he met.

He hoped that this school would be similar but he knew from experience that city schools like this weren't nearly as kind to transfers as Yasogami High.

Idly looking at the clock he noted that he still had forty minutes till school started, if he walked it would probably take between one and two hours and if he took the train he would probably take half an hour, including his time to get to the station, wait for the train and get to school from the station at the other end.

Thankfully he would do any of them, it was one of the reasons he was so happy when Uncle Dojima had sent his old scooter over via a specialized courier.

With it the journey would probably only take ten minutes, fifteen if he hit bad traffic, but he would still give himself twenty just to be safe.

He didn't like being late for school at the best of times, let alone on his first day.

That still gave him plenty of time to finish getting ready, even if all he had to do was finish his breakfast and pick up his bag of school supplies.

A couple of slices of toast and a couple of sunny side up eggs were more than enough to give him the energy he needed for the morning, then he'd have his bento during lunch and maybe he might make some acquaintances… he doubted he would really be prepared to use the term 'friend' as loosely as he used to after last year.

Not now that he knew what true friendship was.

To him that word was now meant that the person was truly important to him and he was truly important to them, that they were someone that wasn't going to do something like forget about him and he wouldn't forget about them.

In a good way of course.

He knew some people he wouldn't forget, not because they were his friends but because they were monsters, Adachi was _the_ prime example of that, someone who committed two murders before orchestrating the attempted murders of six others… for amusement.

That had been what really got him angry, the bastard hadn't done it for some misguided, higher purpose or sense of righteousness like Namatame who thought he was saving the victims by putting them somewhere the killer couldn't reach them, for that Yū could understand the disgraced politician… but to put others in danger for _amusement_ just made him so angry it took every bit of his willpower to not kill the man there and then.

But he didn't kill him, doing that would've made him little more than a murderer, something he refused to become.

Sure he knew that there would probably be plenty of people out there that would agree with that 'type of justice' but he didn't think it was right to think like that, not after seeing how hard his Uncle had worked to try and bring the murders and kidnappings to a close.

Even if the police couldn't catch the culprit because he was hiding in another reality, it didn't change the fact that they tried their hardest to try and figure out the impossible case and were more than prepared to put the effort in to make sure the culprit was brought to justice.

Because he believed in the law.

Sure he didn't believe in all law enforcers, the situation with Adachi had shown him that even among the police there were monsters that felt no such thing as compassion or remorse… but he believed in the law and those that truly wished to uphold it.

And outside of their little stints into the TV world and owning deadly weapons that they used to fight shadows… the investigation team had all been law abiding citizens, though technically Naoto's gun was legally owned by her despite her age and she was legally allowed to chase criminals due to her occupation so she wasn't breaking _any_ laws at all when they went into the TV world.

Sure he'd have preferred it if they hadn't needed to break any laws at all but between breaking the law and letting someone die he would choose to break the law and face the consequences once everything was settled.

Though admittedly, the laws didn't account for the supernatural so he did feel that there was a bit more leeway than normal given the circumstances… something Naoto seemed to agree with.

Shaking his head he let his eyes wander back to the clock and noting that he didn't have long to go before he planned on leaving, he decided that it was probably best if he arrived early anyway.

Sometimes it sucked being a transfer student.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

"Who's the new guy?"

"Maybe it's the new transfer student I heard about?"

"What?  Another transfer?"

"Yeah, apparently this one's a third year."

"Hm, he's kinda cute."                                 

Yū found himself blocking out the rumours he could heard spouting from the mouths of the other students at the gate when he proceeded to park his scooter and secure it properly, something he didn't have to do in Inaba, the small community there wasn't the sort that a theft like that would happen so he only really had to make sure it was parked and had he had the keys on him.

Tokyo on the other hand was a completely different beast and he knew it, so he wasn't going to take any chances and was going to properly secure it to the best of his ability.

Given that that included a little Rakukaja and tetrakarn and it was actually probably the only thing that would survive if a nuclear bomb was suddenly dropped on the city.

Well, not really, but it probably would if he had used something like makarakarn instead.

That was something that made it clear to him that defeating Izanami had done something to him, that he was finding it not just possible, but effortless to cast Persona abilities in the real world, something he thought he wouldn't be capable of doing after slaying the goddess, let alone cast them _without even summoning them_.

But he was somehow managing to do just that, as if the fog that made calling the incarnations of his mind forth easier was still there… and he was pretty sure he had at least a hundred times more raw power to use for his spells given how little they  cost for him to use right now.

For example, tetrakarn, an ability that used to cost him about a tenth of his power was now costing him so little it didn't even register in the grand scheme of things.

Honestly, it slightly worried him.

But he hadn't told the rest of the investigation team about it because despite how worrying it seemed to him, he didn't want to give them a reason to worry as well when he had literally left Inaba that very same day.

Honestly the only clue he believed he had about what had happened to him was a flash of pink and what he guessed was motherly love, but he had no idea what either of those actually meant towards his current situation.

But his instincts were telling him that they were related, the same instincts that made him feel that something was off when Kubo Mitsuo admitted to being the murderer, that told him to seek the truth when Namatame was in hospital, that directed him to suspect Adachi and finally… that led him to Izanami.

He hadn't realised it until after he left, just how much his instincts had helped him, from attempting to put his hand into the TV, to co-operating with Teddie, to interacting with his peers and allowing him to overcome a Goddess.

There was no doubt in his mind now that his instincts were probably his greatest strength and those instincts told him that the flash of pink and motherly affection was important.

"Good morning," he stated to the receptionist as he finally walked into the entrance of the school, "my name I Narukami Yū, I'm supposed to be transferring here today."

The receptionist took one look at him and gave him an affronted look, "I believe it was sent out in the brochure that dyed hair is not acceptable dress code."

Yū wasn't surprised at that greeting, he knew it very well from having read the pamphlet that dyed hair wasn't allowed in the school.

It was one of the reasons he had decided to bring his medical certificate.

"Please have a read of this before making your judgement on my hair colour," he requested of her in a polite tone of voice, indicating that he was being sincere instead of simply pompous.

The receptionist took the certificate in what he could only describe as a professional manner before having a quick read over it before her eyes widened.

"Oh, my apologies Narukami-san, I meant no offense by my accusation," she stated apologetically as she handed his certificate back, earning a soft smile off the grey haired teen.

"It's not a problem, you certainly are not the first to mistake my condition for dye," he stated with a smile.  Honestly he didn't have a problem with the truth of the matter, that he inherited genes for premature greying on his mother's side, though he supposed Uncle Dojima was lucky and managed to avoid that gene.

He always did think his mothers hair was probably some of the most beautiful he had ever seen though, which is why he didn't mind being naturally grey at such a young age.

"Well Narukami-san, according to the class roster you are in class three two," she started, earning a smile off the teen.

"Let me guess, third floor, third door on the right?" he asked with a wry smile, earning a couple of blinks of surprise off the woman.

"Yes, how did you know?" her question was clearly based around her belief that he would need at least some form of guidance, possibly because new students would expect it to be different but then again, he wasn't most transfer students.

"I've been transferred to five different schools in the past six years because of my parents jobs, and most have the same basic layout," he admitted with a smile, earning a look of understanding on the woman's features.

Clearly she understood exactly what he meant.

"Well then, you'd better get on your way, homeroom starts in five minutes and the teacher will need to introduce you to the rest of the class," the smile on her face was clearly not happy, but it was also clearly genuine.  He could tell that she felt genuinely sorry for him but it clearly wasn't pity, if he had to guess, he would say she didn't like the fact that someone as young as him had already been forced to move so many times.

Then again, he had hated this latest move more than all the others combined.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū had to admit, class was just as dull as ever… if not even worse courtesy of his time at Yasogami high… at least there there were teachers with personality, even if some of them were horrible.

Like Morooka and his obsession with preaching in a way that made everyone want to go against what he was saying, or Kashiwagi who always looked like she was trying to seduce every boy in the class.

Well, it wasn't that she looked like she was trying to seduce every boy in class… it was that she _was_ trying to seduce every boy in the class.

Honestly if it wasn't for that and her degrading way of talking about other women, then she probably would've been a rather popular teacher, she certainly was attractive enough after all.

But when she is so aggressively forward and outright mean at the same time… well she put _everyone_ in class off her incredibly quickly.

Well, all except Hanako but then again, Hanako had a similar reputation… but without the good looks to back it up.

Still, at least lunch break was here and he had to admit that he was looking forward to getting his home cooked meal, the only question was where to eat it?

The cafeteria seemed like the typical choice, sure Yasogami didn't have one but then again, that was a very different type of school to the large city ones like the one he was in now.

He could also stay in class and socialise with his peers, sure they certainly wouldn't do anything concerning his social links since he had already maxed all the possible arcana he had found in Inaba and gained the world arcana, but it would be nice to make new acquaintances.

But what he really wanted to do was eat his food on the roof.

It wasn't because it would be fresh air up there, he was in the middle of one of the largest cities in the world.

It wasn't because it would have a good view, like before, it was in one of the largest cities in the world so all he'd really get outside of skyscrapers would be whatever was on campus.

He wanted to do it because that was where the team always met during school hours back in Inaba.

It didn't matter to him how he was living in the past, it was a very recent past after all and he was sure that despite how much it hurt right now he would eventually get used to it.

Plus it wasn't like they were never going to see each other again.

The fact that they all still had each other's mobile phone numbers meant they could easily keep in touch whenever they wanted.

It was just hard to go from meeting with them practically every day, to not seeing them at all.

What he didn't expect was to open the door to the roof to the particular sight he was greeted by.

The teenage boy was perfectly normal.  The seriously dark haired brunette with hair framing her face courtesy of a pair of white bands wasn't particularly strange either.  Nor was the younger brunette with two pink hair bands.

No, what was strange was the blonde girl that was clearly European and was currently latched onto the boy like a limpet while trying to feed him with a much too innocent expression.

The fact that the boy was obviously uncomfortable with her attention and the other two were currently glaring at them made the scene complete.

"Kusanagi-san!  Please!  Do not give in to that woman!" the dark haired girl pleaded, though Yū noted that she didn't sound even remotely heartbroken, so it was unlikely the boy had been double dating… so that probably meant there was some history between her and the blonde that made her want to protect the boy from her.

"Onii-chan…" the younger of the girls however growled out something completely different, indicating to him that she was probably the boy's younger sister and didn't like the way he and the blonde interacting.

What he couldn't understand was why she sound so angry at _him_ when it was obviously the blonde that was being a shameless flirt.

Shaking his head, he tore his eyes from the ridiculous scene and looked for somewhere to sit.  Thankfully, since the school was so big, it had far more room on the roof than Yasogami did, which meant he had no trouble finding somewhere to sit.

What did catch his attention though was when the dark haired girl turned her head away from the blonde and the boy… not because she moved, but because of her expression when her eyes met his.

**_Fear._ **

It was not what he felt, all he felt was confusion at seeing such an expression appear on a girls face simply because she looked at him.

It didn't make sense.

He couldn't recall ever meeting this girl before and even if he had, he wasn't the sort to hurt people so she shouldn't be scared of him.

So why was she?

Did he remind her of someone she knew?  If so, what sort of horror had this person done to her to make her look at him in horror.

"Hey?  Mariya-san?  Are you alright?" he heard the boy call out, snapping the girl out of her catatonic state as she averted her gaze from his.

"Y-yes, Kusanagi-san," she responded weakly before continuing, "he just reminded me of someone I once met."

"Anyone in particular?" the blonde asked in a tone that sounded flippant but Yū could hear the underlying seriousness of the statement.  Apparently whatever the brunette had been reminded of was a serious matter.

"Sasha Dejanstahl Voban," while he may have finally sat down, the grey haired teen hadn't taken his eyes off the people that had originally drawn his attention, even as he opened his bento to get at the homemade meal within.

Thus he didn’t miss how both the boy and the blonde tensed and gained grim expressions, however the fact that the girl with the pink hair bands seemed completely lost about what the other three were talking about told him everything he needed to know.

They were in on a secret she wasn't and were trying to keep it that way.

Eating his meal, the newly transferred third year now knew one thing.

This year may not be so dull after all.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū had to admit that he planned on trying to find these three who seemed to be in on some secret.

However it was clear that whatever was going on, they had decided to leave as soon as possible, which in turn made finding them an almost impossible task in a city the size of Tokyo.

So he didn't try.

Instead he simply got on his scooter and drove off.

The problem was that he didn't want to go home yet, so what else could he do.

Ah, of course, he could go and watch a movie.

With his mind made up, he proceeded to travel towards the only cinema he knew the location of in Tokyo, ready to spend an evening watching whatever new release had come out.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

"Are you sure?" a rather scruffy looking man with dark hair and rectangular glasses, dressed in a cheap suit asked Mariya Yuri as she sat in seiza position at her temple, her heart beating faster than normal due to the horrific circumstances.

A Heretic God was one thing to have rampaging in the city but to have two Campione in the same _school_ as each other was another all together.

"Yes, he was definitely a Campione," she stated with the poise and dignity someone of her station was expected to possess despite her current unease.

"Do you know anything else about him?" the scruffy man inquired, unlike her, he seemed to be completely unaffected by the news, then again, he wasn't exactly normal at the best of times.

"Only his hair colour and that he looks to be around eighteen years old," she admitted, as she thought back on what she had seen of him.

That stare that she couldn't read, that complete lack of reaction towards Voban's name… she was certain he was either extremely powerful or extremely arrogant if he could dismiss that man's name so easily.

It was likely arrogance from becoming a Campione.

But an arrogant Campione is still a Campione and so far beyond human capabilities that a fly is closer to matching a human than a human is to matching a Campione.

Well, outside of a few notable exceptions anyway.

But even these exceptions were still little more than wasps to a Campione and they were few and far between, let alone numerous enough to be a danger to one.

"Well, let's see…" the dark haired man muttered as he looked at something on his phone, "ah, I think this person fits your description."

And so he showed the Hime-miko the profile that he had managed to get sent to his phone.

"Yes, that's him," she stated with utmost confidence, earning a small frown off the man.

"Name, Narukami Yū, age, eighteen, previous school, Yasogami High, Inaba," the man started listing off, "top of his year in exams, the star of the basketball team, member of the drama club, took three part time jobs, caretaker at the local kindergarten, janitor at the local hospital and private tutor to a middle school boy… also very social, an overachiever if I ever saw one."

"You don't look happy about that," Mariya stated calmly, honestly what she had just heard sounded like a rather reliable person, she just hoped he hadn't let his power go to his head.

"The problem is that he came from Inaba," the bespectacled man stated calmly, earning a look of confusion from the teenage girl, "last year there were three murders and five kidnappings there."

"That's horrible," Yuri stated in disgust at the facts she had just been told.

"The thing is, that the culprit was eventually apprehended but the method he used to commit the murders is still a mystery," he admitted easily, "we always thought it was just some random serial killer but now, knowing that this boy is a Campione… it's put some doubt in my mind about the credibility of that assumption."

"You think he may have used his power to do such things?" she asked him with a fear of the unknown Campione once more stirring in her blood.

"Maybe, or maybe the incident was caused by the God he killed," the messy haired adult said with a shrug, "it could even be that I'm looking too far into it and it was just some random serial killer with no abilities."

And thus the two went back to silence.

"Are you going to contact Narukami-san and see what organisations he has had contact with?" Mariya asked him seriously, after all, whenever a heretic god descended on the world there was always an organisation that noted their presence and while the History Compilation Committee may be the largest one in Japan, it certainly wasn't the only one.

And a Campione could possibly keep themselves under the radar through fear if they tried, especially against a smaller organisation.

After all, in a contest of angering all the worlds mages or angering a single Campione, the answer was always clear.

You anger the mages.

"I'll take to the chief first, see what she says," the bespectacled man stated calmly as he pulled out his phone and started pressing the screen to get his boss on the line, "with Kusanagi-san we chose you because of your relationship with his sister and because you attend the same school as him."

"For Narukami-san, we don't have any 'ins' like your connection to his sister, so it's probably better for a higher up to to see him, it's possible that she'll go and meet with him directly," and with a couple more presses he had finally finished getting his phone ready.

"I see," and so she waited for the man to update his superior and decide what his organisation would do next.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū had to admit, it was nice to watch a movie every now and then.

Even if it was so much better going with a friend.

Of course, the movie had finished over an hour ago and he had returned home after getting some fried chicken.

He was actually rather happy his parents didn’t spend much time at home, it meant that he had the whole apartment to himself during most of his stay, which in turn meant he could do whatever homework he had in the lounge without any actual distractions.

Which was exactly what he was doing right now.

Pretty much every subject was so easy that he barely had to think about the answers, then again with his knowledge base and ability to understand things easily, it would be a bigger surprise if he struggled at his homework.

It was also a surprise when the doorbell rang at around half nine, making the grey haired teen look up from giving his work a final look over before he rose from his seat and switched to a persona with null sleep, just in case he met anyone that tried to knock him out.

What greeted him upon opening the door was someone about his age, with shoulder length red hair and a serious expression on her face.

"Narukami Yū-sama," immediately the transfer student knew something wasn't right, nobody referred to him in such a respectful tone, "my name is Sayanomiya Kaoru and I am here on behalf of the History Compilation Committee."

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in whatever you're selling," he responded calmly as he prepared himself to close the door.

"I'm not here to sell anything," her response seemed almost annoyed but he barely noticed it, meaning they were hiding it rather well, "I'm here to ask you about certain event's that my organisation believes you have been involved in."

Yū found himself raising an eyebrow at this persons tone and the way they talked about knowing something to do with him.

"And what sort of events are you planning on asking about?" he asked, curious as to what he was dealing with right now.

"Event's that we believe may have occurred in Inaba," at that statement, Yū knew this wasn't just some salesperson, if they knew about him living in Inaba then it was likely that their organisation really was a genuine thing.

"Alright," the grey haired teen stated with a sigh, "why don't you come in."

"Thank you for your time Narukami-sama," he found himself once again wondering why this person was talking to him with such a honourable suffix but decided to ignore it in favour of one simple question that popped into his mind.

"Can I ask a question without you taking offence at it?" he asked, earning a nod off the person as they passed him.

"It's about my gender isn't it," the knowing way Sayanomiya said that sentence made it clear it was a normal occurrence.

"You are a girl aren't you?" he could see a small hint of surprise flash across their face before it was buried as if it had never been there to begin with, the sheer speed and efficiency with which the person did it let him know he was dealing with someone that was good at hiding their intentions.

"I'm surprised, most people ask if I'm a boy," the redhead said calmly, "but yes, I am a girl.  I am curious as to how you realised so quickly."

"Back at my previous school I had a good friend who dressed as a boy and you reminded me of her," he didn't see any real point in keeping that fact away, it wasn't like it was going to make any difference to whatever this person wanted.

"I see," the woman responded, clearly understanding his belief that she was a woman  now that he had told her.

Closing the door and turning around to face the woman he was surprised to see her standing next to a sofa without moving to take a seat.

"Feel free to take a seat, do you want any tea?" he asked her pleasantly, earning a much larger look of surprise off her, "is something wrong?"

As soon as he asked the look was gone and the calm and collected individual from before was once more looking back at him.

"My apologies, I was simply unprepared to be asked such a question," her tone was firm and completely calm as she explained her shock away so easily, "but, no thank you, I do not wish to inconvenience you."

Yū found himself frowning at her reason for turning down a cup of tea but decided to ignore it, the way this woman had been talking ever since she arrived had been incredibly formal so he supposed there was some rather important reason this organisation wanted to speak to him.

"So tell me," he decided to ask lightly as he took a seat facing the androgynous female, "what is the History Compilation Committee?" "We are an organisation whose main purpose is to monitor and ensure that all supernatural activity in Japan is kept secret from the public."

Yū found himself frozen to the spot.

An organisation that deals with the supernatural and keeps it a secret from the public?

"And if you really are part of some organisation that deals with things like that, why have you come to me?" he really didn't know what to do right now, he thought only the rest of the investigation team actually knew about there being supernatural events going on in Inaba, but was he wrong?

"Because one of our associates at Jounan academy confirmed that you are a Campione," she stated with her usual air of calmness, "a God slayer."

Now he knew this wasn't a prank.          

There was no way anyone would use such a ridiculous line if they were trying to pull a prank after all.

They would probably try and pull a Harry Potter and say 'you're a wizard Yū,' or something like that, but to say that he had killed a god meant that they actually knew such a thing was possible… though not necessarily permanent.

"How?" he didn't need to say anymore, the mere fact that he could be identified as having killed a god meant that they had some way of telling and he wanted to know what it was.

"There are some Hime-Miko with a skill known as spirit vision, I myself possess some skill in it, though the person that saw you possesses an unrivalled talent in the art, thus she was capable of identifying your nature on sight without trying," she informed him, making Yū nod his head in acknowledgement.

"So, why are you here?  I'm not going to talk about things like that with those that aren't in the know so we shouldn't have any conflict right?" he asked, earning a furrowing of the redhead's brow.

"Tell me, am I the first member of a mages association you've been approached by?" Kaoru asked him earning a nod of acknowledgement in return.

"That doesn’t' make any sense," her expression went from serious to obviously concerned upon hearing that piece of information, "if a Heretic God descended to the world then they should've been picked up by at least one association."

"I don't know about Heretic, but the deity I killed did split herself into four pieces and focus her power on creating and maintaining another world, accessible via TV's," he decided to try and help her out, apparently what he said made things fit into place for her as she let out a sigh of acknowledgement.

"Yes, I guess that could explain why we didn't pick up on it," she gave a nod and then decided to ask one simple question, "so what was the name of the God you killed?"

"Izanami-no-Okami," he could see shock appear on the redhead's face once more and it stayed there longer than before but was eventually squashed down by her calm demeanour.

"Well, I wasn't expecting your first god to be one like that," she admitted seriously, earning a small laugh off the male.

"Yeah and I wasn't expecting to meet a god but I did," he admitted with a shrug, earning a small smile off Sayanomiya.

"Well, I suppose it is my responsibility to let you know just what sort of position you're in right now," the HCC representative stated, causing Yū to raise his palm as a sign to wait.

"I don't know much but I do have a question before you start explaining things to me," he decided to ask, "do you have to talk so formally?"

"Does it displease you?" her response was measured and he found himself simply letting out a sigh at the way she said it.

"Well, no but I would feel more comfortable if you weren't quite so… formal," he admitted only to blink in surprise upon hearing a sigh of relief.

"I see, that's good, acting like that's a right pain in the ass," everything about her suddenly changed, her expression went from serious to relaxed, her posture went from rigid to loose, her tone went from no-nonsense to easygoing, all in all it was as if he was now talking to another person.

"So, since we're going to be more casual now, do you want any tea?" he decided to ask again, wondering if she had simply turned down his previous offer out of some need to appear completely serious about the subject at hand.

"Nah, it wouldn't feel right to have a King serve me tea," the flippant way she made her statement caught the grey haired boy off guard as he processed exactly what she said.

"Wait, what do you mean 'King'?" he asked cautiously, earning a grin off her in response.

"Exactly that, since no one can stand up to a Campione, it's accepted that they are the highest authorities in the world, higher than any government or corporation," the redhead told him with a grin, "makes me happy to know that you're a decent guy."

Yū found himself frowning at that, so these people just accepted Campione as a higher authority than them without even trying to fight back?

"But surely one person can't stand against an entire country," he said with conviction in his tone, earning a sad smile from the representative.

"The last time people tried to fight against a Campione… an army of fifty thousand was slaughtered in less than an hour and the Campione left without a single scratch… that was over one hundred years ago," the way she said it made it clear to him that she wasn't exaggerating the numbers, that an army of fifty thousand really was annihilated by a single person.

And he apparently held that sort of power.

"There are only two things that can fight a Campione," she didn't get a chance to finish her statement as he already predicted it.

"Gods and other Campione… right?" the nod of acknowledgement he received was completely expected given what he had just learned.

"Yeah, I'll admit, most Campione are the type of people you want to stay out of the way of but aren't particularly bad," the woman told him calmly, "there is only really one exception but he's considered to be the oldest and strongest Campione out of them all so fighting him is a foolish endeavour, even for another Campione."

"I see… so what else can you tell me about Campione in general?" he definitely needed knowledge if he wanted to understand his current position, that was one of the things that truly made itself clear in his mind.

"Well, their bodies are much stronger than a normal human's, they are quicker to heal and the most important part, the bit that puts them so far beyond regular mages… is the authorities they have usurped," her words made him furrow his brow at using the word 'authorities' in that sentence, "we call the magic of the Gods 'authorities', since it is a natural part of their nature and they don't need to learn anything to use them… the same applies to the Campione that usurped their authorities."

That made him think, what was he capable of doing if he wanted to?  These 'authorities' were supposedly something that came naturally to anyone that held them so why hadn't he noticed these abilities before?

He decided to focus inwards, looking at his personae, only to stop focusing on them for once and instead looking for anything else within him that could possibly count as one of these usurped abilities.

A thick fog, a thousand curses, a storm of lightning, eyes that could reduce even the strongest of humans to within an inch of their life… all in all, he could now see every ability he had faced when fighting Izanami.

Which meant they had always been there within him, somewhere he never thought to look, like he had gained another heart, it was something that was obvious when you looked for it but wasn't noticeable if you didn't even consider its existence.

And he knew how to enact them all.

It was no wonder these mages were scared of Campione, using any of those powers would put him beyond practically every human around.

Hell, if it hadn't been for Izanami taking the group so easily to begin with and him unlocking his ultimate persona, which just so happened to be designed to defeat her and he was certain they would've lost badly.

They almost had even when she hadn't been taking them seriously.

"I see… I never thought about anything like that so I never noticed," he decided to let her know about his lack of consideration about his own power.

Even if his power did explain how he could use his personae without the fog.

Because he wasn't.

It now made sense, since he was now the source of the fog, all of his personae was constantly under its effects and therefore just as effortless to summon as they had been in the midnight channel.

"So, is there anything else I need to know?" he asked calmly, sure he may have been getting some rather unexpected surprises just now but he was more than capable of handling a lot more.

"That you're not the only Campione in Japan," that was to be expected, for her to have so much information on the people who killed gods there clearly had to be more than just him, "and it just so happens that the other one goes to the same school as you."

Yū had to raise an eyebrow at that information, he hadn't expected there to be another one so close to him.

"And how many Campione are there in the world?" he wondered just how high the number actually was for two such people to learn at the same school.

"Including yourself… there are currently eight known Campione in the world," the shrug she gave at that information made him blink, he had expected there to be more than that but quickly shook his head.

"There is one other thing," the redhead started, making him look at her rather calmly, "while you're now considered a King, there is one thing that the people expect of you… you are to slay any Heretic Gods that descend on the world."

"Huh?  Sorry, but can you explain what you mean by Heretic God?" he definitely needed an explanation for that one, that much was for certain.

"Alright, how's the best way to put this… Gods come from myths and legends right?" he nodded, wondering exactly why she was trying to dumb it down for him, "well, these myths and legends are an actual place… well, not actually a place but…"

"A metaphysical area that exists within the collective human psyche?" he decided to have a shot at guessing exactly what she meant and given how myths and legends tend to be told by people… well he thought it would only be natural that if they existed anywhere it was probably linked to human conscious.

"Yeah, that's right," the smile she wore when she said that made it clear that she hadn't expected him to get it, much less on such a small amount of information, "anyway, sometimes Gods will grow tired of their legends and manifest in the real world, when they do they bring calamity, like how if a God of the ocean appears, there will be massive floods."

Yū nodded at that, she didn't really need to explain anymore but there was one thing he wanted to make clear.

"Alright, I understand what you're asking of me and I will help you deal with these Heretic Gods if they show up _and_ cause harm to people," the emphasis he put on the word and made the redhead blink and look at him questioningly, "I told you before tha Izanami split herself into four pieces right?  Well one of those pieces was left in the form of a human with no memory of anything except language."

"She became someone very close to me and then when she finally remembered her purpose and what she was… she tried to die to protect me, my friends and the rest of the world from her power running awry," he explained, earning a look of shock off the representative, "we managed to stop her and she continued to live on until we defeated Izanami."

"She left the world to learn how to control the power that she was forced to house when the other parts of her were defeated," he explained, noting the look of shock on the redheads face, "if a god like her, who just wants to live a normal life appears, I won't kill them, no matter how much anyone tries to make me."

"I understand, honestly I'm finding what you're saying really hard to believe but I won't argue with you since I wasn't there," she said with a shrug, earning a snort of amusement off the persona user.

"So do you have anything else you need to tell me?" he asked, earning another shrug off the representative.

"Nothing of vital importance that can't wait for another day," she said with a wry grin, "besides, surely all work and no play isn't any way to live," the way she nodded towards his homework that was strewn across the table, earning a shrug off the greying teen.

"I went to the local cinema and got some KFC before coming back so it's barely taken me an hour to do this," he informed her casually, earning a few blinks of surprise in return.

"Really?  Damn, you must work fast," she admitted with a hint of disbelief in her tone.

"There was a reason I was the top of my year in my previous schools," the wry grin he wore when he said that only made her chuckle and shake her head.

"Well, if you're so damn good then why not give me a hand with my own?" she asked with a laugh.

"Sure, just don't expect me to do it for you," the god slayer said without dropping his grin.

"Well, I didn't bring it with me so we'll have to wait for another day," the way she shook her head made it clear to him that she hadn't expected him to actually accept her joking request for help, "if you have any more questions, feel free to give me or any of my associates a call."

He noted the business card she lay on his table, complete with several phone numbers and names adorning it.

"I'll be sure to do just that," he informed her as he pocketed the card, he would probably put the numbers in his phone later but for now he would just put it away.

"Well, I'll see you sooner or later Yū-san," and with a simple wave over her shoulder, the redhead left the apartment.

With her no longer around, it was time for him to do something he felt he had to do now that he'd learned something so important.

Pulling out his phone, he scrolled through the numbers and selected the first that he would call and put it to his ear.

"Hey Yosuke, you'll never believe what I've just found out."


	2. Chapter 2

Yū couldn't stop himself from letting out a sigh as he looked at himself in the mirror before school.

It was strange for him to think that he could no longer be classified as human now, especially given just how human he still looked.

But he had looked again this morning and sure enough, he could feel his authorities.

Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts out of his mind and focused on getting ready for school, he may not have really talked to anyone there yet but he was going to have a word with that group that included the European girl, they had mentioned the name Sasha Dejanstahl Voban the previous day and given how Sayanomiya-san had mentioned that he was the most powerful Campione… well, it didn't take a genius to figure out that one of that group was the other Campione of Japan and he actually _was_ a genius.

He idly wondered how the other Campione would react to him, after all, a meeting between two kings wasn't an everyday occurrence… especially when they live in the same city.

That was what was really making him curious, would this other Campione consider him a threat to his rule and try to eliminate him, or will they accept peaceful co-existence until he returned to Inaba?

Because he _was_ going to return to Inaba when he finished his education, that was one certainty in his life.

And so with that thought currently in his mind, he proceeded to perform his morning rituals and prepare himself for school and his inevitable confrontation with the other Campione.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Kusanagi Godou didn't know what he was going to do.

It hadn't been that long since he had fought Voban and yet ANOTHER Campione was now in Tokyo… and he was apparently going to the same school he was!

"Onii-chan!  Stop struggling!" he couldn't stop tears from falling from his eyes as his little sister Shizuka attempted to drag him to school.

Normally he would've left long before her in order to wake up Erica but with another Campione attending the school, all he could think of doing was avoiding the establishment with all his might.

It was unfortunate that his might wasn't enough to overcome his little sisters iron will.

"But I don't want to go anymore!" he practically cried out, he didn't know what this other Campione was like but so far he had met two… the first tried to cut him to pieces for fun and the other tried to kidnap his friend and then nearly levelled a park hunting him down.

So he most certainly did not have good memories of dealing with the other kings, that much was for certain.

And he really didn't want to risk destroying the school and killing the entire student body just because he got into a fight that was closer to the scale of a natural disaster than a karate match.

After all, Campione were God slayers and were almost always so far beyond human limits that any fight against them was a guaranteed victory in the kings favour.

He was also pretty sure that he was the only one that wasn't that far beyond a knight given the restrictions on his authorities, which meant that he was actually better off against stronger opponents than weak ones.

It also didn't help that he knew nothing about this other Campione, so it was entirely possible that not one of his authorities would be suitable in a fight against him… he had already seen just how powerless the Stallion had been against Voban when the man had simply eaten the authority like it was a rice cake.

So he had no idea if this grey haired teen would have a similar ability.

Honestly the only authorities he knew would work for certain were the Ram and Warrior… he could probably aim the Boar at something else but that was a far more destructive ability than he wanted to use.

"Onii-chan!  Stop being such a baby and just come to school already!" the angry glare Shizuka was giving him was enough to make him finally submit to the younger girl.

He may have fought Gods and Campione, he may have faced down a demonic sword that had transformed into a gigantic lion and caused massive amounts of property damage to world famous tourist sites… but Kusanagi Godou would always fear his sister.

"Good boy," he found himself falling even further into depression as she addressed him in the same manner she would a dog… dammit!  Why did she always have to make him feel so low?

And so he simply tried to prepare himself for the most harrowing day of his life.

After all, he'd never encountered any foes in school before and had no idea just how much chaos would be sown today.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū stretched out as class ended and lunch began.

Sure he knew he probably should get to know some of his classmates today but the fact of the matter was that dealing with his fellow king was more important.

It was one of the reasons why he made a couple of extra bento's for today.

He just hoped the other Campione would take it as the peace offering it was and not an attempt to poison him.

He hadn't had any interaction with them so he had no idea how they would react to his attempts, sure he was anticipating that the rather plain looking male that had been around the European Blonde was the Campione, the way she flirted with him and the fact she wasn't native gave him the impression that she wasn't the Campione herself.

And beyond that, why would a European king come to school in Japan?

The other girl that seemed to be in the know was also clearly subservient to the boy, even if that subservience was in the same manner that Chie had been subservient to him… in other words, she chose to follow him because she was comfortable doing so.

That was probably the main reason he was as willing to risk the confrontation as he was, for that girl to be subservient in that particular manner probably meant that the boy was at least a decent enough person.

Of course he could just be misreading the brunettes actions but he doubted that.

And so he gathered the bento's he prepared the previous night and made his way out of the classroom and towards the roof.

Upon arriving he was greeted to the sight of the area being completely empty, obviously he had been the first person to arrive and so without any hesitation, he took a seat somewhere that could be easily seen by those leaving the stairwell and going to the roof.

Time passed as others proceeded to appear in a relatively slow trickle, that is until the group he had been waiting on arrived.

He noted that the blonde that seemed to attach herself to the teenage boy gave him a wary look, one that seemed more in tune with Naoto when she was assessing a threat than anything else, so he assumed she was trying to determine what he was doing there today.

The dark haired brunette looked at him with a hint of fear in her features, though nowhere near as all consuming as yesterday's reaction to him.

It was the dark haired boy that truly caught his attention.  The way he looked so nervous upon seeing him, the way he seemed to be contemplating running away right there and then… it wasn't the sort of reaction he had expected from him.

Noting that the younger girl that had been with them yesterday was nowhere to be seen, he decided the best course of action was to wave the other group over and hope that his peace offering would be accepted.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Godou couldn't stop himself from feeling his heart race as he watched the other Campione sit on the roof and wave him over.

Why did the other God slayer have to call him over like that?  It would've been easier for him if he had walked up to him and started making demands.

But now, now he would be required to make the first move, to be proactive instead of his favoured situation of being reactive… it just wasn't fair!

His mind stalled as he watched Erica strut up to the grey haired teen with her usual air of superiority, it was likely that she was trying to provoke the other Campione, he just knew she was going to try and assert _his_ dominance over the other teen.

"W-wait!  Erica, stop!" he tried to plead, hoping that there wouldn't be a complete disaster because of her.

But it was too late.

"You, what are your intentions here?!" she demanded, Godou had to admit, her confidence was truly immense if she could waltz up to a Campione she had no information on and demand such information.

"To speak with the other Campione of this school," his answer was stated calmly and with a hint of an amused smile, "though, I admit that I thought your boyfriend was the one to hold the title."

"We're not a couple!!!" Godou couldn't stop himself from shouting out, he really didn't like the fact that this other Campione would immediately come to that conclusion, honestly, he was more concerned about that than he was about the grey haired teens statement that he thought he was a Campione.

"Ignore Godou, he's just in denial," the Great Knight stated in a dismissive tone, making him feel even more worthless than before, "and he is indeed the Seventh Campione."

With that statement, the slightly older teen looked at him with a rather bland expression, making him feel as if he was being judged by someone far above him… it really was rather terrifying, especially since he knew that this person was also a devil king.

"I see, that's a relief," and with that one statement, Godou found himself freezing.  He also noted that both Erica and Mariya had done the same as him at that statement, "at least I now know for certain that you aren't going to pick a fight with me."

And with that one statement Godou found all his previous worries flowing away.

"Y-you aren't going to try and kill me?" he knew he sounded desperate but he just had to ask the slightly older teen.

"What?  Why would I want to kill you?" at with the complete confusion saturating the grey haired teens voice, Godou found himself releasing all the tension his body had been building up all day and let himself fall to the floor in relief.

"S-sorry, it's just so far you're the third Campione I've met and both of the others tried to kill me," he admitted while rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Why were they trying to kill you?" the question was asked with an obvious amount of confusion and Godou thought that for the first time ever, he may have just found another normal person with the title of Campione.

"Well, Doni is a sword nut and Voban's a vicious monster," the dark haired teen admitted, earning a look of surprise off the older boy.

"That doesn't sound good," the eighth Campione's response made the dark haired boy smile, perhaps he would finally have someone he could confide in about his doubts and issues with his status as a Campione.

"Yeah, it's nice to meet another Campione that's normal," he stated with a smile before noting the grey haired teens attention was drawn towards the entrance to the roof.

"Ah, looks like the fourth member of your group has arrived," and with that statement, Godou found himself immediately looking behind himself, only to find Shizuka already storming her way towards him with a murderous expression on her face.

"Onii-chan, are you annoying the transfer student?" she asked, making the dark haired Campione wonder exactly how she knew the other Campione was a transfer student.

"Ah, actually it was the other way around," Godou found himself jerking his head back towards his peer as he made that statement, he only just realised that he hadn't told this other Campione that he as keeping everything a secret from her, so he only prayed that the older teen didn't say too much, "I went a little overboard last night since I couldn't decide what I wanted for lunch today and thought that I could share some of it with others."

It was then that Godou noticed the tower of bento's sitting next to the slightly older teen and immediately felt himself stare in disbelief at it.

"And why did you decide that my worthless Onii-chan was worth giving any to?" the seventh Campione found himself flinching at his little sisters description of him.

"Well, I had lunch up here yesterday and you four reminded me of my friends from my old school," that had the youngest Campione stall, he had no idea how they could remind him of his old friends, and apparently neither did Shizuka.

"Oh, and how's that?  Was there someone as clingy as Erica there?" the smile that the grey haired teen gave, made Godou wonder just how happy the newer Campione was.

"Well, she wasn't quite as clingy as that, but she did cling to me whenever the opportunity arose," the smile never dropped from the transfer students face as he made that statement, "but that's not what I meant, your group reminded me of my friends because of how close you all seem to be."

That was something Godou could agree on, despite the rather chaotic mess he, Shizuka, Eric and Mariya made, they were probably closer than the other groups in the school.

"So, do any of you want a bento?" the smile that the grey haired high schooler gave was just as pleasant as every other one he gave out during their encounter and Godou found himself wondering if it was intentional or if this other Campione was doing it just to make him drop his guard.

"Um… sure, I guess I could try it," the hesitation in Shizuka's acceptance was understandable, from what his sempai said, he had made the bento's himself and that would mean that they would be nowhere near their grandfathers meals.

After all, his grandfather was the best cook Godou had ever met.

It was when Shizuka opened the first bento that his mind started to experience doubt.  Not only did the meal look delicious but the smell was simply divine.

He idly wondered if he should accept one of those bento's despite Anna's cooking generally being delicious and having a bento prepared by her, the smell that was being emitted from Shizuka's accepted lunch was just that good.

He watched as his little sister took a piece of the meal, what seemed to be some type of pasta, before she placed it in her mouth and immediately froze.

He watched for several seconds as the expression on her face cycled between disbelief, bliss and indecision, before she finally started chewing and swallowed the morsel.

"I-Impossible… i-it's even better than Grandpa's," the disbelief in her voice and the fact that she claimed the food was even better than their grandfathers was enough to make Godou freeze.

"So I take it you like it?" the way the grey haired teen smiled was enough to make Godou wonder if the boy was simply easy going or if he tended to fake his social interactions, if it was the second one then his initial thought of how easy he would be to get along with might need adjusting.

The youngest of the group simply nodded her head enthusiastically, "yes, thank you for the meal… ah… sorry, I forgot to ask your name."

"Oh… I forgot about that as well, anyway, my name is Narukami Yū, it is a pleasure to meet you…" he started only to trail off, obviously intending on Shizuka giving her name to him.

"K-Kusanagi Shizuka, it is a pleasure to meet you as well Narukami-san, please keep an eye on my no good Onii-chan," and once again, Godou felt as if she had just shot an arrow through his heart with her insensitive words… that is before his mind focused on something else, the fact that his little sister was blushing.

He immediately started praying that she was blushing out of embarrassment… he didn't know what he would do if she started growing attracted to a Campione, after all, it was bad enough that she was related to him, she didn't need a close connection to _two_ god slayers.

"Ah, my apologies, my name is Mariya Yuri," he was broken out of his thoughts by Yuri introducing herself to the unfamiliar Campione.

"Kusanagi Godou," he was silently surprised by the fact that he managed to say it without any stuttering or nervousness, then again he was more concerned about Shizuka right then, "and this is Erica Blandelli," he decided to supply his senior with Erica's name since he expected her to be anything but forthcoming about any information.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Godou-san," the dark haired teen didn't take anything from the older teens usage of his given name, after all, since Shizuka was there as well, he would clearly use their given names to distinguish between the two.

"Likewise, Narukami-san," Godou idly considered just how different the atmosphere was with the eighth Campione around than when he wasn't, after all, neither Mariya _or_ Erica were really talking with the grey haired teen around.

That thought made something pop into his head.

"Narukami-san, do you need any help getting to know the area?" Godou asked, praying that the teen would accept what he was implying.

He wondered about why the other male gave him a quick look before letting that infectious smile grace his lips once again.

"Alright then, I'll take you up on your offer," the way the older teen made that statement made Godou wonder if he understood exactly why he had asked before shaking his head, he wasn't quite that easy to read… was he?

Deciding to put that thought out of his mind, he noted a certain level of displeasure making itself apparent on Erica's face and idly wondered if she had anything against him creating a new friend.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Erica didn't know what to do.

This Narukami Yū would probably be better as an ally than an enemy but that didn't stop one simple problem from being raised because of him.

He was too normal.

That's not to say she didn't believe he was genuine, the fact that Shizuka was eating one of his bento's without any negative effects was proof that he hadn't attempted to poison Godou or anything like that.

The problem was the effect he would have on Godou's development.

For so long she had been trying to get Godou to accept that he was no longer a normal human, that he was one of the most powerful figures in the world and that he should start acting like the king he was.

But this new Campione could threaten that development by making him believe that his current way of acting _wasn't_ a mistake.

And now Godou was apparently planning on spending some extra time with the other teen and she didn't know of any suitable excuse to stop him.

At least, not any that would prevent him from spending time with the eighteen year old.

Oh, both she and Yuri had received in the information about the eighth Campione that had been discovered the previous night, including exactly which God he had slain.

Not that she was particularly worried, she had every confidence that Godou could defeat the other teen should the two do battle, he had defeated Verethragna, the God of Victory after all and even if his authorities had restrictions on them, she was certain he could win.

Sure, since Izanami was an ancient Shinto Deity with very few known parallels, her power was more pure and therefore greater than that of those that had a great accumulated history.

That's not to say other Gods didn't have greater abilities, while their power may be spread thinner than Izanami's they tended to have more abilities at their disposal, which in turn allowed them to overcome the difference in power.

But that lack of extra history meant Godou would have far less trouble making a sword to sever Izanami's authorities.

But she still couldn't stop herself from thinking about the danger this other King presented to her Kings mental state.

Shaking those thoughts out of her mind, she decided that she needed to think up a plan to separate the two without gaining Godou's ire… so for tonight, she would let the eighth Campione talk with her lord, hopefully by tomorrow she could come up with a suitable method of removing the negative influence.

It was simply a matter of time.

She just hoped she wouldn't be too late.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū couldn't stop himself from smiling as the lunch break ended.

All his previous concerns about the other Campione had been dispelled in their brief encounter and he was now certain that a peaceful coexistence was not only possible but highly likely… if anything it seemed more like they might actually become allies as well.

Though he would admit that he was concerned about that Erica Blandelli that seemed to stick to Godou like a limpet, she clearly did not like him and he had no idea why.

He really hoped she wouldn't try and start a conflict between them, that would simply make everything awkward.

She had also been the only one to not accept one of his bento's, even if most of them were going to be saved for later.

It was always satisfying to see someone enjoy the food he had cooked, even when the people eating it were merely acquaintances instead of the close friends he shared them with back at Yasogami.

But that didn't matter, what mattered was that he was going to be spending time with his fellow king, something he hoped would help foster good relations between them and allow for a trustworthy ally among the magical world.

After all, the History Compilation Committee existed to hide the existence of magic and deities from the general populace so what was there to say they didn't hide other things from the Campione?

That's not to say that he didn't want to trust them, he hoped they were a trustworthy organisation, but he wasn't going to blindly accept them as such, not after tha whole debacle with Adachi in Inaba.

If they hadn't been so instantly trusting of the apparently useless detective, then maybe things might have turned out differently… though if he was honest with himself he knew that things turned out as well as they could've, after all, they had managed to save everyone they could even if it had been a close call on every occasion.

But even if he wasn't prepared to fall into the same trap again, he was still the type of person that wanted to trust others.

After all, it was possible that the HCC was just like the investigation team, keeping people out of the loop in order to avoid creating panic and protecting them from the knowledge that things aren't as they seem.

He honestly hoped that they were like that.

But as they say, set your hopes high and your expectations low.

That way he won't be disappointed if they turn out to be not as nice as he hoped they were.

His attention focused on the teacher as they entered the room and without any further contemplation, he prepared himself for the rest of the school day.

Now if only they could start teaching him something he didn't already know.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Godou was nervous.

School had finally ended and he was going to be spending some more time with the newest Campione.

Sure he was nothing like Salvatore or Voban, but in the end he was still a Campione and it was possible that the older teen was simply pretending to be nice while there were others around in order to keep their existence a secret from the public.

Bah, who was he kidding, Narukami-san wasn't like that, his instincts honed by reading his foes in baseball practice told him that and those instincts were rarely wrong.

No, what really made him nervous was the thought of how Erica would act if she was around him for too long.

It was no secret that she didn't like him, something that he simply didn't understand, after all, Narukami-sempai was perfectly pleasant and showed no signs of being anything but sincere.

Well, except for his ability to lie as effectively as he did against Shizuka… alright, maybe Erica did have a reason to be distrustful of the grey haired teen.

But still, he trusted the other high schooler and that was all that really mattered.

In the end though, he just knew that having Erica around would make everything far more awkward than he would really be comfortable with but it was still better than trying to deny her advances at every moment of the day.

So he would just hope that she and Narukami-san would just ignore each other.

If that happened then he would probably get a much needed break from the constant attention she lavished on him.

It wasn't that he didn't like her, quite the opposite in fact, but the reality was that he didn't want to become committed until he was older.  So to put it another way, she was simply trying to go too fast for him and it made him uncomfortable.

Plus, the attention she gave him caused most of the boys in his class to focus their ire on him… it wasn't even his fault she clung to him like she did, so why was he always getting the short end of the stick?

It hadn't been that long ago that he had been kidnapped by Takagi, Nanami and Sorimachi over the fact that Erica and Mariya spent a lot of time with him… and it wasn't like he could just tell them that they were both members of secret organisations that revolve around magic, Gods and God slayers.

Things had only been exacerbated by Sorimachi's Imouto fetish making him obsess over the way he treated Shizuka… honestly, just because he didn't have an Imouto fetish didn't mean he treated her horribly… if anything it was the other way around!

He never accused her of being a serial womanizer but that was pretty much all that ever left her lips when she talked about him nowadays.

It just wasn't fair.

"Godou," he gulped nervously as he noted that Erica, who had been far quieter than usual after meeting Narukami-san, had just spoken his name, "I have something I need to take care of, please be careful around the other Campione while I am away."

He nearly tripped over his own feet when she said that.

The thought of Erica of all people deciding to leave him alone was just outright strange… sure he knew he should be grateful but all he could bring himself to be was suspicious of her intentions.

"What do you need to take care of?" he was fully aware that she wouldn't tell him what she was going to do but he found himself asking anyway.

"I need to contact Copper Black Cross about the newest Campione," Godou found himself blinking at that excuse, sure he knew it was just that, an excuse, she'd never bothered taking time away from him to contact them but it was certainly a good excuse.

"I see," he knew he didn't sound particularly convinced but then again, he was certain she would be capable of telling he wasn't convinced even if he tried to sound genuine.

The grimace she made upon hearing his lack of belief in her excuse would've been imperceptible if he didn't know her as well as he did and it showed him that she was definitely planning something behind his back.  And given the events of the day, he was certain it had something to do with Narukami-san.

"Kusanagi-san," and before anything else could be said, the very person he believed was the cause of this unease called out to him.

"Ah, Narukami-san, how are you doing?" he asked as calmly as he could given the current situation.

"I'm doing fine," the smile on the grey haired teens face was once again contagious and Godou found himself smiling as well, "so are you and your girlfriend ready?"

"I already told you we're not a couple," the dark haired sixteen year old grumbled loud enough for his sempai to hear him.

"And I've already mentioned that Godou is in denial," the seventh Campione found himself nearly crying at Erica's dismissal of his statement, "and I will not be joining Godou on this meeting as I have other matters to attend to."

"I see, then are you ready to go Kusanagi-san?" and with that question from the eighth Campione, the slayer of Verethragna simply let out a nod of acceptance, "I will ask this first, is there anywhere within walking distance of here?  I came to school on my scooter so I'll have to take it back home tonight."

"Ah, you have a scooter?" he was definitely surprised to hear that, he didn't expect the older teen to have his own form of transportation.

"Yeah, though I'm considering applying for a standard vehicle licence," he admitted calmly, making the other teen widen his eyes in surprise.

"Really?  Do you have a car as well?" the question was a perfectly valid one and the laugh he received in response was rather telling in his eyes.

"No I don't, but I have managed to save up a few hundred thousand Yen over the past year," the older of the two admitted casually, "though I'm going to see about getting the HCC to get me a good one instead of spending my own money on it."

At that statement Godou froze, he also noted that Erica also froze as she started walking away from the two males.

"W-what do you mean you're going to get the HCC to buy it for you?" the younger teen couldn't believe his ears, he had expected Narukami-san to be like him and try and avoid getting too close to any of these mages associations and here he was saying he was going to take advantage of one of them already.

"Well, they're expecting me to do things for them so it's only natural that I expect them to pay me for it," at that Godou realised he wasn't dealing with someone like himself, to think that he would only help them because he wanted whatever they could get him.

His displeasure at that revelation must have been easy to read if the next sentence Narukami-san said was anything to go by.

"Let me guess, you think I'm only going to fight Heretic Gods because I'm getting paid right?" the former Baseball player had to suppress a wince at that statement, "I'll tell you this, I'll fight any Heretic God that causes harm to anyone, regardless of whether I'm getting paid or not, but that doesn't mean I won't take advantage of it to get a bit extra for myself."

That explanation made the dark haired teen stall a bit, he didn't understand what the older teen was implying despite his attempts at figuring it out.

"To put it simply, I see myself like a Doctor, I won't sit by and let someone die just because I wasn't getting paid, but that doesn't mean I won't use those same skills to make a living," and that explanation hit the younger teens mind like a sledgehammer.  He had never thought of it like that, he had always assumed that since he had to strength to fight Gods, it was his duty to do so and he therefore shouldn't take anything from that situation.

But it seemed that Narukami-san thought about using that strength for both the right reasons and personal gain at the same time.

There was only one real problem he could think of.

"But what about getting too close to any single organisation?" he was sure there would be some sort of problem in the long run if he got too close to a single group, even if he was close to representatives of both Copper Black Cross and the History Compilation Committee.

"Well, the representative of the History Compilation Committee that I met last night basically said that the Campione are so far beyond everyone else that there is no point in trying to stand up to them, so I doubt they'll cause either of us too much trouble," the shrug the older teen gave at that explanation made Kusanagi Godou feel strange.

It was obvious that Narukami Yū, the one person he felt was normal among the Campione, was taking his role as a king in stride and not letting any of the stress get to him… and yet he was still acting normally outside of everything involving the mages associations.

It was just something he felt seemed almost paradoxical after seeing those that accepted their positions in the food chain.

Was it really possible to retain a normal life while still accepting the political power that came with being a Campione?

He turned his gaze towards Erica, only to blink in surprise as he saw her smiling at him.   The smile itself was something that he knew very well, it wasn't the coy one that existed to try and seduce him, it wasn't the mischievous one that threatened his sanity… it was the reassuring one, the one that told him that everything was alright and that what he was thinking wasn't wrong.

She could read him better than anyone and he could also read her better than anyone… and right now, he realised exactly what she meant, 'you should listen to him'.

With a twitch of her lips, she turned and walked away, leaving him alone with the newer Campione.

"So are you finished talking with your girlfriend?" and once again Godou found himself wallowing in a pit of despair.

"She isn't my girlfriend!"

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Erica couldn't stop herself from smiling as she walked back towards her apartment.

It would seem she was wrong about the Eighth Campione.

He wouldn't be a bad influence on Godou, if anything, that previous conversation had demonstrated to her that it was quite the opposite.

He was proof that someone could both accept the role and power of a Campione while living a normal life, something Godou was extremely hesitant to do after his prior meetings with other Campione.

They had always accepted their role and power while discarding any semblance of normality that may have existed before, but Narukami Yū showed that it wasn't impossible to be both a normal teen and a God slayer.

Right now she wanted nothing more than to intrude on the two kings meeting, to take her place at Godou's side, but she held back, she had already stated that she had other matters to attend to and on top of that, she was hoping that Godou would be more open with the other Campione without anyone else around.

If so then she wondered how her King would develop, would he become a man worthy of the title instead of just the power?

She was certainly looking forward to seeing the results of this meeting.

She could already imagine Godou finally accepting his position in society and ravishing her mercilessly…

Well he probably wouldn't, he was just too shy to do something like that.

But she could wait, even if she really didn't like having to.

Shaking her head she tried to take her mind off that particular train of thought.

It wasn't good to think too hard on things like that after all.

There was one thing that caught her attention now that she wasn't focused on trying to come up with a way to separate the two Campione, something she really should've noticed earlier.

Her bag was heavier than usual.

Turning a suspicious eye towards her bag, she unclasped it and took a peek inside.

_Erica_

_I know you didn't want to accept it but since you have such a large appetite, I decided to put this in here anyway, please don't throw it away, it really is good if Shizuka likes it._

_Godou_

The Blonde, Italian knight found herself blinking in surprise at the noted she read before moving it aside to reveal one of the bento's Narukami-san had prepared the previous night.

With a couple of blinks she recalled how none of the group had any issues after eating it earlier, so it was probably going to be edible and lacking in poison, so she would eat it when she got home, perhaps she might even let Arianna try some as well… it wasn't like anything bad would happen right?

And so with her smile still in place, she continued her journey back home and to her maid.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Godou really didn't know what to think anymore.

Narukami-san had been perfectly normal while he had been giving him a tour of the local area, honestly the only reason he could tell the other teen was a Campione was because of the prior knowledge of his status… well, that and the comment about getting the History Compilation Committee to buy him a car.

It was just something he never expected to witness, another Campione that wasn't a battle nut.

On top of that, he had managed to get some peace from Erica's constant attention, which in turn gave him time to breath instead of constantly having to fend off her attempts to smother him as much as possible.

"Onii-chan… where have you been?" it was the very first thing he heard as he entered his home, honestly why did Shizuka have to interrogate him every time he did anything now?

"I was with Narukami-sempai," he was for the first time in several months, capable of telling her the full truth about what he was doing, "since he just moved here I decided to show him around… _plus it also got me away from Erica_ ," he mumbled that last part low enough for his little sister to not catch it.

"I bet you were also with that Erica girl," the young girl stated while looking at him like someone would look at a pile of dog dirt they had just stepped in.

"Actually, Erica had something else to do so it was just me and Narukami-sempai," he was capable of saying that with complete honesty and it was clear to him that it surprised his little sister after so many months of constantly evading her questions.

"Really?" her tone was sceptical and her expression was just as doubtful.

"Yes, really," he noted the way she looked at him for several seconds, her gaze making him feel nervous, before she finally relented.

"Fine, I'll believe you," and with that she turned her back on him before stalling for a couple of second, "n-next time, let me join you."

As she walked away, Godou found himself frozen to the spot.

Oh god… why?

They'd only met for less than an hour so why?

Why did she already have a crush on him?

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū returned home at about half past eight at night and he would admit that the time spent with the other Campione had reminded him a little of the time he spent with Yosuke back in Inaba.

Though he would admit that he would much rather actually spend time with the former city-boy, they were simply that much closer than he was to the youngest Campione… plus, they had had a fist fight to mark each other as equals so that also helped things.

Though he was certain Godou wouldn't be the type to do something like that.

Not that he expected to do anything like that with the teen, he wasn't even trying to think of himself as equal to or superior to anyone, that much was clear from their minor interactions that day.

Godou was raised as a pacifist but had the instincts of a Tiger.

That meant that until you pushed him, he would keep trying to avoid conflict but when you finally did back him into a corner… well, then you were in serious trouble.

Still, he had no intention of pushing Godou at all, they weren't enemies after all.

"Welcome home, Yū-kun," he was greeted by a voice he knew but wasn't particularly familiar with, as he opened the door to the apartment.

"Yū," another voice that he rarely heard but knew like the back of his hand.

"Kaa-chan, Tou-san," he responded as he closed the door behind him and removed his shoes while looking at the two people that gave birth to him.

His mother was a beautiful woman of average height.  She wore a dark blue business suit with a matching skirt, while her grey hair was cut just below her ears and her grey eyes were clearly tired from overwork.

Next to her was his father, a tall man that he inherited his face and height from.  Unlike her he had dull brown eyes and typical black hair, but just like her, his eyes showed that he was overworked.

"You're back rather late," his mother stated with concern in her tone, apparently she still thought of him as a young child but he didn't take it personally, the fact was that both his parents had been too busy working to really raise him properly, it was one of the reasons he was as independent as he was… plus his lack of parental figures resulted in him having to make his own decisions and deal with the consequences, something that had led to him developing the ability to keep his cool in just about any situation.

"I was being shown around the area by an acquaintance," he admitted truthfully, earning a sigh off the woman.

"Yū, just because you're older now doesn't mean it's safe to be walking the streets too late," his father stated, earning a nod off the teen.

"I know, but I also know that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself," the grey haired teen informed them calmly, earning a serious look off his father.

"Look, we know we haven't really been here for you," he started, only to be cut off by the youngest in the room.

"I know, you've been busy with work, but that doesn't change the fact that I don't need you to give me life lessons," the persona user admitted calmly, earning a pair of grimaces off his parents, "I know what I'm doing alright?"

The expressions of displeasure on his parents faces when he said that was enough to almost make him feel guilty but the fact remained, that he didn't need them to teach him anything, not when he already knew most of the life lessons they could try and give him.

Plus, he was a Campione and a persona user.

He wasn't anywhere close to being defenceless.

But he couldn't tell them that, one, they probably wouldn't believe him and two, even if they did, it would only cause them stress to know that their son now killed deities for a living.

"Anyway, I'm going to my room," he called out as he headed towards his bedroom door, "let me know if you need anything."

And with that, he left his parents alone in the lounge.

They never were the closest of families and this wasn't going to change that.


	3. Chapter 3

Godou had to admit, there was one real problem he had with Narukami Yū… though it wasn't exactly the older teens fault.

He just didn't like the fact that his little sister seemed to have grown fond of him too quickly.

He blinked a few times at that thought.

Why didn't he dislike Narukami-sempai?

So he thought about it, about how the boy seemed so understanding, kind and charismatic that he found it hard to not like the older teen.

Was that why Shizuka had developed a crush on the white haired third year? Was it simply that Narukami-san was a little too perfect?

It was strange for the dark haired second year, the thought that his sempai was too perfect and yet his instincts told him that the older boy was _genuine_.

Even Erica, who was nearly perfect had her flaws (ones that tended to get him into far more trouble than he ever wanted to if he was honest) and she was considered an exceptional talent in the magical society.

So why did he give off a vibe of perfection whenever he spoke?

Shaking his head he cleared it of those thoughts, he had other things to think about instead of Narukami-sempai and the first point of call was to make sure that Erica was on time for school.

So as was his usual morning ritual, he reached the front door where he was immediately accosted by his sister… who was once again accusing him of being a promiscuous womanizer before he finally managed to get out of their home.

He idly wondered why Shizuka seemed so obsessed with making him out to be an insatiable monster when he was the one who was having to put up with two women who were only hanging around him because of his status as a Campione.

Honestly, there were times he wished he had never gone to Sardinia that week.

Of course he never truly thought that way, as soon as he imagined his life without Erica or Yuri he began to feel hollow because regardless of how little time he had known the two Bishōjo, they had managed to become an integral part of his life.

If only they would give him some space to himself for a change then his life would be perfect.

Well, except for the whole part of having to slay any Heretic Gods that decided to attack Japan… and the occasional Campione that wouldn't listen to reason.

Or his little sisters obvious distaste for him spending time with any attractive females.

Or his grandfathers teasing.

Or the idiot trio's constant attempts at making him suffer…

Okay, so his life was certainly not even remotely close to being perfect but he knew it could be even worse that it currently was.

Eventually he was forced to shake his head clear of those thoughts as he finally reached Erica's residence and pressed the intercom for the tenth floor.

"Yes, may I know who it is?" the near immediate answer was one that had practically become a morning ritual for him and the person on the other end, so he answered how he always answered.

"Good morning Anna-san, it's me, Kusanagi," if he was right then the next line would be…

"Ah, Godou-sama, thanks for your efforts every day, please enter," yep, it was exactly as it always was, even down to the cheery way that Anna made her response.

And with that, he entered the building and took the elevator up to the tenth floor where he would no doubt be required to get Erica out of bed… and it would probably take him all morning to do so.

Finally he reached the correct floor and found the door to his knights apartment.

Almost immediately the door opened to reveal a luxury two bedroom apartment with an open plan living room and kitchen… honestly it was far too posh for Godou's tastes but then again, he was a man of simple tastes and Erica… most certainly wasn't.

"Please come in," the dark haired girl that worked as the blondes maid said almost immediately as Godou quickly made his way into the unit and prepare himself for the daily occurrence of waking Erica in time for school.

"I take it Erica is still in bed," he asked rhetorically, earning a nod of confirmation from the worst driver he had ever met, "I guess I'll have to go and get her up then."

It went without saying that Godou found waking Erica in the morning to be one of his most difficult tasks in life, honestly he would rather be fighting a heretic god since at least then he knew where he stood… when waking Erica he was always having to be extra vigilant in case she decided to try and drag him into bed with her.

Which wouldn't really be so bad if they didn't need to go to school… or if she would let him be by himself every now and then.

Walking into the bedroom as per usual, he was yet again frozen by her beauty and the peaceful expression on her face, he knew it was stupid, he'd seen her like this countless times before but she still drew the same reaction from him (and he wouldn't be surprised if she knew it and was doing this on purpose).

Getting over his nerves, he walked up to her bed and proceeded to try and wake the girl from her slumber.  It was something he never understood, why a knight of all people slept like a log, he had always been under the impression that warriors slept lightly but the European blonde did anything but sleep lightly.

And so, he started the morning ritual of waking the girl, a process that would probably take several minutes that would be better spent doing… well anything really.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū let out a sigh upon seeing the empty living room first thing in the morning… it was just as it always was, no goodbyes, no good lucks… just silence.

He had grown used to it during his childhood but over the last year, he had grown to associate silence with life threatening injury.

After all, the only times Nanako hadn't been there to greet him in the morning had been when she was in the hospital.

He let out another sigh upon thinking back to then.

He had been so tempted to go through with Yosuke's plan, to throw Namatame into the TV world and let him die there… but he had pushed down that urge and done what he knew was right.

He never regretted that decision.

Shaking his head clear of those thoughts, he once again sighed as he remembered the previous night and how he had eventually given in to his desire to cook more bento's and risked his parents attention.

He honestly preferred silence to their attempts to connect to him.

It wasn't that he couldn't connect if he tried… it was just that he didn't really see them as parental figures and that was exactly how they tried to connect with him.  He had practically raised himself and because of that, he found the thought of people acting like parents to him off putting.

He supposed it was one of those things that further cemented the fact that he wasn't quite right in the head… the multiple persona's confirmed that on their own given how he was the only one that could change them at will while his friends personae only evolved upon having an epiphany about themselves.

Of course, the little titbits of information about his psyche weren't exactly easily gleamed, even his friends didn't seem to notice just how peculiar his situation was and if they did, they probably didn't care, just like how he didn't care what their shadows said because in the end, they were all friends and all accepted each other's flaws and secrets as just another bit of what made them… well, them.

Well, all except Yosuke, he was still uncomfortable around Kanji but then again, it could just be the former city boy being a clown like he usually was.

Once again shaking his head clear of the thoughts filling his mind, he proceeded to prepare himself for the day ahead, including the bento's he had prepared for the rest of the group… hopefully whatever issue Erica-san had with him could be resolved, he really didn't want to have a negative relationship with the other Campione's girlfriend.

Sure he had no intention of getting involved with her more than as a friend, he wasn't a player after all.

Even if he did date two girls during the past year… at the same time.

That thought made him sigh in self depreciation, even now when he was no longer going to be seeing either of them for any real length of time, he was still feeling guilty about it.

Probably because he really did care about both of them and didn't want to hurt either if they ever found out.

Seriously, why did he have to confess to both of them?

He once again shook his head clear and looked at the clock, noting that it was about time he left for school and so without allowing himself any time to let his thoughts wander again, he proceeded to leave the apartment and make his way to school.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Godou once again found himself heading up to the roof, idly wondering just what Erica was going to do today.

He really hoped she could put aside her previous distaste for sempai and at the very least be amicable with him.

The fact that she seemed to be distracted during breakfast wasn't the best sign, the fact that she barely registered him was proof that she was in really deep thought,

Of course, upon opening the door to the roof, he was once again greeted by the sight of Sempai sitting there and immediately took note of the bento's stacked up beside him.

And then his mind remembered just how good the previous day's bento had been and he found his mouth watering involuntarily.

He almost missed the way the European Blonde stormed over to the grey haired teen, before he opened his mouth to tell her to stop… when he noticed the lack of aggression in her posture.

"Narukami-sama," he almost choked upon hearing her refer to him with as much reverence as she did, he had never heard her speak to someone with as much respect as she now spoke to the eighth Campione.

He could definitely tell that she wasn't just putting on airs due to his status this time.

"Uh… hello Blandelli-san," the confusion in his sempai's voice was clear and simply proved that he was just as ignorant of why she was acting the way she was as he was, "is there something I can help you with?"

Godou for his part was beginning to wonder just what Erica was planning now, however he almost fell over at her next statement.

"If it is not too much trouble… please give my maid cooking lessons," the seriousness in her tone said that she really did mean it and Godou for his part was conflicted on the request… for one thing Arianna was a very good cook as long as she wasn't trying to make a stew… but on the other hand Narukami-sempai was just _that_ good that it didn't really matter.

"Of course," the smile on Yū-san's face told him everything he needed to know, his senior was not just willing but happy to do just that, "is there anything you'd like me to start them on?"

"Stew," both he and Erica stated immediately and in perfect synchronisation, earning a smile off the third year.

"I see, so when do you want me to start?" the way Narukami-sempai was just so easy going about the whole thing made Godou wonder, did the other teen have some sort of psychological issues like the protagonist of that eroge he had played once?

"As soon as you are ready to," he noted the way Erica sounded almost excited, then again, he was as well since he would be benefiting from whatever Narukami-sempai would manage to impart onto Anna-san.

"I see, then is tonight alright?" Godou found himself wondering if the teen had been preparing for this or if he just didn't have anything else planned, "I'll need to get some ingredients but I should be fine."

"That would be perfect your highness," and with that both Campione found themselves blinking.

"Ah, you don't have to be so formal with me," the eighth Campione stated with a kind smile, "I'm not really one for formalities… anyway, does anyone want a bento?"

Godou himself found himself nodding frantically as the silver haired teen proceeded to hand all but two of the bentos out before taking one of them for himself.

And then Shizuka arrived.

"Hello Shizuka-san, do you want a bento?" Godou found himself once again internally cringing as he took note of the way his little sister blushed at the senior student's question.

"Y-yes thank you," and it was with clear nerves that the youngest of the group took the offered lunchbox and proceeded to sit down and open the meal.

Time after that seemed to passed by rather casually, what with how Yū made idle conversation with pretty much everyone there, even Erica and Mariya seemed to be relaxing more around him, probably because of how he easily accepted their requests.

And then the meal was interrupted by a small beeping coming from the grey haired teen's pocket.

It didn't take a genius to figure out that Yū had just received a text, especially when the boy pulled out his phone and clearly gave the message a read.  Before turning to Erica.

"Ah, Blandelli-san," he started, catching everyone's attention, "I'm sorry but I won't be able to help you later."

Now that surprised Godou, he had not expected the older teen to alter his plans but then again, whatever it was had clearly just come up.

"I see… may I ask what it is that you plan on doing later?" Erica sounded disappointed but there was no aggression in her tone this time, clearly her previous dislike for him had been quelled for whatever reason it was that made her dislike him in the first place.

"A good friend of mine just texted me to tell me they were in Tokyo right now and asked to meet up after I've finished school," now Godou found himself frowning a little, the fact was that he hadn't expected any of the other Campione's friends to be out of school right now, so it did raise the question of how old this friend was, "do you want to join us?  She'll probably like to meet you all."

"Are you certain she would?  After all, if a girl suddenly decides to invite you out, what makes you think they aren't asking you on a date?" Erica asked with a sly grin and Godou found himself also noting that Shizuka wasn't looking all too happy.

"Yes, she would," the complete lack of hesitation in Sempai's voice as he made that claim was clear to everyone, "honestly, it would help her if you did come along."

Now that made everyone stall, why would it help her if there were more people there?

"Why's that?" Shizuka definitely sounded curious, though Yū's shrug in response was clear.

"Because she can be fired from her job if she dates anyone," now that statement made him stare at his senior, the mere thought that someone could be fired for dating was just ridiculous, however he quickly noted how his little sister seemed to be thinking hard on the matter.

"You know," she started, "the only job I can think of that you could get fired from is if you are an idol…"

"Yeah, she is," now Godou couldn't stop himself from looking at the older boy blankly.

He was friends with an idol?  And this idol had just invited him out?

He found himself sceptical.

"So who is she?" Shizuka seemed interested, that much was for certain, he himself found himself curious as to whether or not the older teen would boast about who he knew or not.

"If you want to find out, then why not come along later?" that was not the response he was expecting, it was basically one saying that he wasn't going to boast about it but at the same time, wasn't going to deny it… and he found himself silently deciding.

"Alright then, why don't we all go," he spoke out, making his little sister look at him in surprise.

"Yes, I am interested in who it is that is delaying Narukami-san from teacher my maid how to be a better cook," Erica had that look in her eye, one that basically said she was looking to cause some sort of trouble.

"Eh?  Teach your maid how to be a better cook?" Shizuka herself seemed surprised at that, "what do you mean by that?!"

She sounded almost outraged.

"Ah, Narukami-san agreed to teach Anna-san how to cook better before you got here," he decided to just explain it honestly, after all, it would just create more problems if she thought they were keeping secrets from her… sure they _were_ keeping secrets from her but they were the sort that couldn't be easily figured out but _could_ be easily misinterpreted.

"Onii-chan…" she didn't sound happy, "why didn't you tell me before?"

"W-well, it never came up," he reasoned, since it was true, but the way she was glaring at him made him wonder if he had broken some unspoken rule he had never been made aware of.

Not that it was his fault anyway.

"Is something wrong Shizuka-san?" Narukami-sempai's voice cut through the air and Godou found himself grateful for the older teen's assistance.

“Uh... n-nothing...” she sounded very put out when she said that and Godou was beginning to wonder if it was because she didn’t want to show him any of her less... pleasant, personality traits.

Perhaps staying around Narukami-senpai would help him avoid his little sisters constant harassment?

"Do you want to learn how to cook too?" he froze, was Narukami-senpai really going to do what he thought he was going to do?

"Uh… uh… yes?" she sounded unsure but the smile that graced the older teen's lips said it all.

"In that case, Blandelli-san, would it be acceptable to bring Shizuka-san to the cooking lessons?" Godou immediately felt his blood run cold.

Was he really going to have Shizuka learning where Erica lived?

"Of course, it is only natural for someone to wish to taste such impressive cooking on a daily basis," the blonde just had to say that didn't she?  Why oh why did she have to accept?

The fact that Shizuka now looked incredibly excited only made it even more annoying.

He was losing a place to escape her accusations and she was gaining more time with the very person he wanted to keep her away from…

Sometimes… sorry, make that most of the time, his life sucked.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Shizuka didn't know what to do.

She, her brother, Mariya-senpai and that Erica girl were all going to go and meet one of Narukami-senpai's friends.

Apparently she was an idol.

She didn't know if she should believe him or not but given the circumstances, she was inclined to do so… even if the girl wasn't a particularly famous one she would most likely be someone she or her brother could identify.

She did keep track of the different Idols after all… though she was upset that one her favourites had gone on a hiatus and there had been no more news on her since.

Well… outside of a single gig held in some small town she had never heard of that no one had been allowed to record due to there being no licensing deal involved.

She was also pretty sure her brother kept up to date on them as well… despite his protests she knew he was interested in girls and was most likely taking after their grandfather… the way he interacted with that Erica girl was proof of that.

And  that wasn't even considering the relationship that seemed to emerge between him and Mariya-senpai… seriously, why couldn't she have picked a better person to display an interest in?

… oh yeah, it was because most of the other boys in school were even worse than him.

She had to let a sigh out at that, honestly the only person that seemed to be better than her brother was Narukami-senpai and he had just transferred.

Though he began to wonder if he was trying to earn the affections of that Erica girl and Mariya-senpai…

She doubted he was interested in her.

Sure she hoped he was, but in the end, she wasn't even going to consider the possibility that he would choose her over someone  like Mariya-senpai or that Erica girl.

"So, senpai, do you know where we're going?" her brother asked with curiosity in his tone, though to be fair, the question was perfectly valid given how long the white haired boy had been in the city.

"Yeah, I've got the trip information on my phone," he admitted, earning a nod of acceptance from her brother.

The fact that they were currently on a train should've clued him into the fact that their senior knew what he was doing.

Eventually they arrived at the location Yū-senpai determined was correct and she immediately took note that it was a rather simple ramen stand, as opposed to anything fancy like she was expecting.

And then they entered.

"Senpai!" almost immediately she found her gaze being drawn towards one of the stalls and then her mind froze.

There was most certainly a girl waving her senpai over, a very attractive young woman about the same age as her brother.

And she didn't need to think for a second to know who the girl was.

"Risette… Senpai knows Risette?" she couldn't stop herself from muttering as she stared at the person the transfer student was now sitting down to lunch with.

He really wasn't joking about knowing an idol, hell, he wouldn't even be called a liar if he had said he knew one of the most famous Japanese idols of the past decade.

Thankfully, it appeared that her brother was caught just as off guard by this revelation as she was.

Though Erica and Mariya were clearly not as impressed… perhaps they didn't know who she was, one was European and the other lived at a temple without technology… however she found herself quickly shaking her head and moving towards the table, dragging her brother with  her as they finally took a place at the table their senpai was now located at.

"It's been a while hasn't it senpai?" oh dammit… Risette looked way too smitten with senpai.

"To be fair, it has only been a little over a week," she froze at his response, she seemed so happy to see him, after only a week? "but I'll admit, it does feel longer doesn't it?"

"Yeah, I mean, sure everyone else is still there but it just isn't the same without you," the brunette said with a smile, "after all, you were the glue that brought us all together in the first place."

It definitely sounded like this girl had a major crush on Senpai but she knew as well as the boy did, that she wouldn't be allowed to be with him.

That was one of the sacrifices of being an idol after all.

"Anyway… sorry about that, I'm Kujikawa Rise, I take it you must be Erica Blandelli," she said as her attention turned to the blonde European, "Mariya Yuri," she indicated towards the princess of the tea ceremony club, "Kusanagi Shizuka," she really couldn't believe how the girl was getting everyone right each time, "and Kusanagi Godou… am I right?"

"Y-yeah," Godou managed to get out in surprise, "how did you know?"

"Senpai told me all about you… and I'll admit, I'm happy you're letting him join your group, it is so relieving to know he won't be alone in a new school," Shizuka found herself blushing at that statement, she had never expected an idol to say that something she was doing would make them happy… even if it wasn't limited to _just_ her.

"So Rise… did you call me out for something or just to catch up?" she was amazed, the oldest of the group actually managed to ask a question like that without it sounding like either option was bad or annoying.

"Both actually," now that caught her attention, "so I'll give you these before I forget."

And that was when she found her eyes widening in shock.

Tickets.

Five tickets.

Five VIP tickets to a concert in the Tokyo International Forum.

"These don't go on sale until next week, but I thought you might want some," Shizuka found herself going still.

Risette was returning to  show business.

And she was giving her senpai tickets to a concert that weren't going on sale until a week later.

She hadn't even heard anything about Risette returning from her hiatus yet!

"Thank you Rise," she found herself getting thrown out of those thoughts as she came to single conclusion that he really did care about the girl that had just given him tickets to her concert, "Godou-san, Blandelli-san, Mariya-san, Shizuka-san… do any of you want to go with me?"

"Yes please!" she found herself shouting alongside her brother… before noting how desperate she must look to the others at the table, "… uh… I need to go to the bathroom."

And with that she made her way away from the table they were sitting at and  proceeded to enter the bathroom for a chance to cool down.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

"So… now that your little sister is away," Godou found himself directing his attention towards the idol, honestly, he had _never_ expected senpai to know Risette of all people, "how did you do it?"

"Huh?" he didn't know how to respond to that question, mainly because he didn't know what she was asking.

"How did you kill Verethragna?" his mind froze.

He managed to idly note that Erica and Mariya had also frozen at that question.

Had she really just asked what he thought she had?

"Wha?" he tried to get out before she decided to ask again.

"I just asked how you killed Verethragna… I mean seriously… I know Senpai killed a god but I'm having trouble picturing you doing the same," the silence at the table was palpable.

An Idol, someone who literally had a stage with which to tell everyone the truth… actually _knew_ the truth.

"Narukami-san… did you tell Rise-san about this?" Mariya sounded somewhere between confused and disbelieving.

"Of course I did," he was clearly about to continue when the shrine maiden cut him off.

"You told the History Compilation Committee that you wouldn't tell anyone, I can't believe you would actually lie about something like that!" she definitely sounded offended, maybe even hurt, then again, she was the sort to keep her word so it wasn't really that surprising.

However the fact that Narukami-senpai had told the girl about everything was only going to show that the boy wasn't as trustworthy as he originally seemed.

"Firstly, I didn't break any promises," that seemed to earn a glare off the shrine maiden before Erica raised a hand before her.

"Please explain," two words that could change everything.

"Gladly," senpai seemed more than willing to talk about the supposed slight, "when I spoke with Sayanomiya-san, I told her that I wouldn't tell anyone that didn't already know… and Rise was right there with me when I fought Izanami."

That caused everyone to freeze.

Kujikawa Rise, a nationally known idol had encountered a goddess?

"Not like I was much use…" she definitely seemed sad at that admission, "when she tried to send you to Yomi, all I could do was scream… I still don't know how you managed to escape but I was just so happy you weren't dead, I could have cried."

"You did," the oldest teen said with a soft smile, upon which the celebrity among them proceeded to blush and look away.

Godou found himself beginning to feel out of place as the two friends interacted… he was certain there was some serious history between them.

Then again, they had apparently faced a deity together so it was clear they would be close.

"Switch topic," Risette said quickly as her face stopped flushing, "so, did you know that I wrote my new album myself?"

Godou found himself caught off guard by the sudden question and was about to ask why she had done it when another voice spoke up.

"What?  Really?" he felt his breath hitch, Shizuka was back.

Wait… did that mean that Risette had decided to change the topic because his sister had returned?

"Yep… though my producer did some editing," she seemed to deflate at that.

"Every producer does editing," Narukami-san said with his usual smile adorning his face, "but think about it this way, at least they only edited it instead of rejected it."

"Yeah… I don't know what I would've done if they had rejected it," she admitted with a nervous smile.

"Why would they have rejected it?" Shizuka definitely sounded confused at that.

"Well… it is my first attempt at writing my own songs and I haven't had any training either so I didn't really know what I was doing," that caught him by surprise, not the fact that it was her first time doing it but that she didn't know what she was doing, "in the end I just poured myself into the music and hoped for the best."

"And it really is good," at that statement from Narukami-senpai, everyone  found themselves freezing.

"W-wait, how do you know that?" his little sister asked in shocked confusion.

"Senpai got the first recording, even before I sent a copy to an agent," and with that statement Godou found his jaw nearly falling from its hinge.

Narukami-senpai had an original recording of Risette's first attempt at writing an album?!

"And it really is good… I suppose I could let you listen to it at some point if you want," now that was something Godou would admit he would readily look forward to.

After all, Risette was probably one of his favourite idols… probably due to the fact that he liked to imagine it was his sister singing her songs… it really managed to take the sting out of constantly having to weather her onslaught of insults.

"Really?" Shizuka for her part seemed just as excited at the prospect, then again, from what he knew, she looked up to the girl his age so it wasn't really that much of a surprise.

"Yeah," and with his usual kind smile, the oldest teen there was once more making his little sister blush.

Then he noted the blank expression that adorned Risettes face.

"Why do I get the feeling that she is going to be like Chie, Yukiko and Naoto?" that question made Godou blink in confusion.

"What do you mean?" he decided to ask, causing her to grin in response.

"What I mean, is if she'll become another girl he'll friend zone," at that statement he found his face going blank.

He friend zoned three girls?

"There was also Yumi," that simply made her look at him again, "I met her in drama club."

Godou really began to wonder if Senpai was an early  reincarnation of his grandfather… a capable cook, a ladies' man and apparently more than willing to friend zone them as well…

That was when his eyes widened and his mind went blank.

He was dealing with a younger version of his grandfather!

Then he took note of his sister's reaction and immediately noticed how she had gone rather pale.

"You didn't mention Marie-chan," that was a statement that made everyone blink.

"I'm not going to lie," it was a sentence that made Godou wonder exactly where the conversation was going.

"… I thought so," Risette seemed resigned to it, "tell me… if you had to choose between us, who would it be?"

Us?

Oh… oh…

His mind stalled.

From the way this conversation was going it finally clicked in his head.

Senpai didn't simply know Risette.

They most certainly had dated at some point.

But now they couldn’t anymore because of her going back to her career as an idol.

The real question as far as he was concerned however was simple…

Who was Marie?

"If I had to choose between you and Marie…" the oldest of the group let out a sigh as he gave his answer, "I would choose neither of you."

That was a statement that seemed to bring a far more depressing atmosphere to the table.

"Why?" the girl who already had a career asked, clearly uncertain of what to think of his answer.

"Because I can't choose between you," it was a simple answer and it was clear that he wasn't exactly happy with the situation but he most certainly wasn't trying to worm his way out of it.

"Well… I don't know what to say," he definitely felt like he shouldn't be there, this was definitely a private conversation and it was clear that things weren't going to be the same between them from that moment onwards.

Shizuka looked scandalized at everything though.

Then again, from what they had just discovered, it definitely sounded like senpai, the person he had thought was perfect, had been double dating.

"Well… I guess we really should leave it there shouldn't we," huh?  Why did she sound so cheerful?

"Rise," senpai started to speak before getting cut off by the idol.

"Senpai, if it had been anyone else, then I would probably have been mad," that was definitely a strange sentence to use given the circumstances, "and if you had given any other answer, I would've either been hurt or mad… but I know Marie-chan, I know you and… in the end I had a great time with you and… and I'm giving up the chance to be with you to return to show business."

"And then there's the whole fact that we don't know where Marie-chan is now…" the idol definitely seemed concerned at that.

"She'll return when she's ready," the grey haired boy said with a reassuring tone in his voice.

"I know, but… you know, I sometimes worry about her, what with… what happened," it was clear they weren't going to talk about whatever had happened around others but Godou had to admit that he was curious.

Though he decided to keep quiet.

Apparently he wasn't the only person to come to that decision.

 

XXX XXX XXX

 

Yū had to admit, the day couldn't have really gone any better.

Rise had let him know that she had suspected him of cheating on her with Marie but in the end, didn't hold it against him… on top of that, there was also the fact that he had gotten tickets to Rise's return tour.

The only thing that really made the day anywhere near bad was simple.

He had been forced to think of the girl that had gone missing after Izanami's defeat.

Certainly he knew why she had vanished, he understood why she wasn't there anymore… but he missed her.

He missed her even more than everyone else, because she was one of the people that hadn't been there to see him off.

So he shook his head in an attempt to clear those thoughts from his mind.

She was relearning how to control her power and would return when she was ready.

He would just wait for that time.

Even if it took hundreds, if not thousands of years, he would wait for her.

So until then he would simply have to carry on with his life.

It was when he was passing the table that he noticed it.

A magazine.

It was a simple magazine with a simple cover.

But the cover reminded him of something.

And with that he pulled out his phone and dialled the number.

"Hello, Sayanomiya-san," he spoke down the speaker, "I would like to speak with you about transportation."


	4. Chapter 4

Yū couldn't stop himself from staring blankly at the car that was currently sat before him.

A BMW 640i Gran Coupe... why had they gotten him a car like that?

He had only asked for a decent four door car and had instead gotten a brand new sports coupe... he was beginning to wonder if his status as a Campione had caused them to go a little overboard when buying something for him.

"Uh, why have you gotten me something like this?" he decided to ask, earning a grin off the man that had led him to the vehicle.

"Well, the committee gave me unlimited funds with which to buy you a car to your specifications and... well, I don't normally get to splash out like that so I got you the best I could find on short notice," the man seemed very happy at having the chance to splash out on something like that so Yū found himself simply sighing in response.

"Well, I guess I didn't put in a condition that it shouldn't stand out too much," he muttered to himself before looking at the other man and continuing his questioning, "has the committee gotten me a driving instructor?"

"Of course," the man responded easily and with a certain glint in his eye that Yū found himself figuring out rather quickly.

"It's you isn't it?" he asked blankly, earning a small chuckle off the man.

"You're much sharper than the other Japanese Campione," and with that claim, it was clear that his calculation had been right.

"Well, Kusanagi-san doesn't seem as experienced as me when it comes to this sort of thing," he stated easily, "plus I'm good friends with a couple of detectives so I have a bit of experience there as well."

He wasn't going to name drop since that was just arrogant, however letting the man know he was close to some people who required good perception and deductive abilities for their job wouldn't hurt.

"Yeah, Dojima Ryotaro and Shirogane Naoto, the so called detective prince right?" the man stated with his usual smile.

So Yū simply nodded… however he was now certain that this man wasn't as simple as he made himself out to be, the way he casually dropped those names without so much as a flicker of anything other than that genial mask he wore crossing his face made it clear he was an expert at hiding his true motives.

"So when do I get my first lesson?" he asked easily, earning a small chuckle off the nondescript man.

"As soon as you are ready," and with that the man presented the door to him and he suddenly had the feeling that he could probably do with a new instructor.

XXX XXX XXX

Well, it appeared that the man he found himself incapable of trusting was most certainly a rather effective teacher, though he was clearly a bit  _too_ eager to get to the more advanced driving techniques that would only be useful in high speed chases.

He had no intention of using the car for things like that however, if he needed speed then he would summon a persona and use it as a mount instead of taking a car, it would give him more control and more manoeuvrability, even the possibility of moving on a vertical axis instead of simply horizontal ones as well.

But he didn't intend on using personae for trips, they would stand out far too much for that.

Still, at least he was picking up on the art of driving well enough, he already knew the rules of the road back to front so all he needed to do was learn how to drive the car itself and that honestly seemed easy enough.

"Well, I guess that's enough," the representative from the History Compilation Committee said as they parked in a random car park before handing a couple of envelopes towards him.

He took the envelopes, he didn't know what they were but instead of asking pointlessly he decided to simply open them.

The contents of the first envelope made him stare at them blankly upon realising it was a full Japanese driving licence.

"Isn't this a bit… premature?" he found himself asking the man who simply gave a non-committal shrug in response.

"You're connected to the History Compilation Committee  _and_  a Campione," the man stated easily, "taking driving lessons is just a formality."

Yū found himself worried about the blasé response and wondered if there were many people in the History Compilation Committee who didn't know how to drive properly due to never bothering to learn properly.

"I see…" he trailed off before pushing those thoughts out of his mind and opening the other envelope and reading the official looking letter that he pulled from it.

"We thought it would be useful if you want to explain your new car to your parents without telling them about the whole Campione thing," the man stated with his usual smile and Yū found himself agreeing easily.

The letter was an official letter from the HCC, including its governing department, phone number and email. The contents of the letter however were the most important point, which basically just stated that he was working in conjunction with the HCC and that they had supplied him a car for the duration of his association with them.

"Yeah, it will be useful," he admitted to the man before giving a small bow, "thank you."

"Not a problem, you're a Campione, we have to do everything we can to appease you," the man sounded incredibly amused, "lest you choose to level Japan."

He felt his expression go blank at that claim, the fact that he couldn't tell if this man was being genuine or not made it unclear if he actually meant what he said or was just making a joke.

"I'll try not to then," he deadpanned back, earning a chuckle off the man.

"That's good, who knows, if you did try that we may have been forced to sic Kusanagi-san on you," Yū simply found himself offering a wry grin at that claim… he now knew that the destruction of several global landmarks had been the younger Campione's fault, even if it had been out of carelessness as opposed to maliciousness, so he was certain they wanted to keep the Seventh Campione out of as much conflict as possible so they wouldn't have to rebuild too many places of historical value.

"Do you really want to risk that?" he joked himself, earning a small laugh off the man.

"Point taken," the other man easily gave up and Yū found himself mostly relaxing around the man that had put him on edge. Certainly he was still on edge about the man but he didn't seem like an immediate threat just yet so he was prepared to relax his muscles a bit.

"So, do you have a way back or do you need me to drop you off?" despite his inexperience, Yū felt confident that he could manage to drive around Tokyo and most likely the rest of Japan as well, especially given how much driving he did on his scooter before… he would just have to make sure he focused on his spatial awareness so he wouldn't overestimate just how much room he had at any point.

"I'm fine here," and with that, the man opened the door of the currently stationary vehicle, "have a good night Narukami-sama."

And with that the man exited the car and closed the door before offering him a wave and walking towards the exit… honestly Yū thought the man could do with a lift but he was already walking with a level of confidence that told him the man knew exactly where he was going anyway.

So he decided to leave him be and instead, make his way back home after dropping off for something to eat.

XXX XXX XXX

Yū found himself once again entering his parent's apartment late at night, and once again, he found himself coming face to face with his parents.

He was both unsurprised they were back by this time, but also surprised that they were still awake after their long day.

"Yū, where have you been?" he almost let out a sigh upon hearing his father ask that question in a tired tone.

"Getting a standard vehicle licence and a car," his response was met with hesitation from the older people in the room.

"You've got a car?" his mother sounded unsure, then again, she had missed most of his life growing up.

"Yes, it was supplied by a group I'm working with," he admitted before handing her the letter containing the fact that it was given to him by the government agency.

The frowns that adorned the adult's faces were clear to him.

"You are working with a Government Agency?" his mother sounded uncertain, something he was more than understanding of given his age and status as a student.

"Yeah, it is a bit strange for a Government branch though," he admitted, then again, being a branch that specialized in hiding the existence of the supernatural meant it was only natural they wouldn't be normal.

The fact that his parents didn't respond told him that they were of the same opinion as he was.

Then again, how many agencies recruit people who are still in high school and supply them with a vehicle?

"You're not getting involved with anything… questionable are you Yū?" his father asked seriously, earning a blank stare off the boy.

"I've just spent a year with Dojima-ojisan… do you really think I'd get involved with anything like that after staying with him?" his question was simple and made his parents look away with a hint of embarrassment on their features.

After all, Dojima was more than willing to arrest him if he ever got involved in something illegal… hell, he'd almost arrested him simply because he was  _suspicious_ after that letter that threatened him.

Plus he considered the man to be like an older brother now, he looked up to the detective as a role model despite his flaws and the issues he harboured, hopefully he would be able to move on with his life and give Nanako the time and affection she needed.

If he was honest with himself, he had high hopes for his uncle and cousin.

"Anyway, I'm going to bed," he stated calmly as he walked towards his room, sure he wouldn't actually be sleeping yet, instead he would deal with his homework, watch some television and maybe call one of his friends back in Inaba, but the point was that he was going to his room.

"I see… goodnight," and with that call from his mother, he proceeded to hole himself up in his room and finish off his day.

XXX XXX XXX

Godou couldn't stop it.

He sighed as he once again found himself being  _told_  what he was going to be doing for the summer break.

Honestly Erica could just be way too pushy… well, most of the time really.

It didn't change the fact that he really did care about her, he simply needed a bit of space and being expected to essentially go on a honeymoon before getting married, long before he was ready for either thing was not appealing to someone with his sensibilities.

_To put it simply, I see myself like a Doctor, I won't sit by and let someone die just because I wasn't getting paid, but that doesn't mean I won't use those same skills to make a living._

He found those words passing through his head as he thought about his life and how it was changing ever since becoming a Campione.

Honestly, what his sempai had said that day still rung clear in his mind, that just because it was his duty to defeat Heretic Gods didn't mean he shouldn't benefit from it either.

Then there was the fact that the older teen had been double dating… sure he wasn't going to have a go at the guy for that, given how close he was to both Erica and Mariya he was pretty sure it could be considered hypocritical, but at least in his case, both knew about each other and how close they all were.

Then again, given the lack of surprise on Risette's face upon that revelation maybe they weren't exactly hiding the fact and it simply didn't come up before.

But honestly, he wished he had some way of getting away from Erica, at least for a little while.

Especially now that she was trying to organise his entire holiday while giving him zero input as to what they were going to do.

So he silently made plans to leave the country without Erica's knowledge, which if he was honest with himself, was a surprisingly difficult thing to do, especially given just how thorough she was with anything involving him.

Thankfully Mariya-san and the HCC had been prepared to help him in his endeavours.

So it was now simply a matter of waiting for the summer holidays to start and then he would be on the first flight to Sardinia and towards Lucretia Zola's home where he would be laying low until such a time when it was safe to re-emerge and come back to school.

Of course that would mean leaving Japan in Narukami-senpai's hands but he was certain the white haired senior could handle it, besides it wasn't like a Heretic God attacked every week, hell, they rarely even attacked more than once a year worldwide if what he had heard was right.

Of course the fact that he had killed Verethragna, met Melqart and defeated Athena in just a few months made him very sceptical about the veracity of that information.

And that wasn't even including the fact that Narukami-senpai had killed Izanami that very same year.

So either the information was wrong and Heretic Gods descended more often than they claimed or they were having a funky year or two.

Honestly he hoped that it was just a short burst that was ending but if his luck held true then it wouldn't be a surprise if another God descended soon.

And he would probably end up in the middle of whatever it was doing.

He shook his head clear of that thought, he didn't have reason to worry about this situation just yet, it was getting late and he had school the next day.

So he proceeded to prepare himself for the night and tried to clear his mind so sleep could take him.

XXX XXX XXX

The following morning was nothing special as far as Godou was concerned, he got up early and went to Erica's apartment where he was once again forced to wake the girl. Honestly, how a knight could sleep like a brick was something that still confused him, though he was leaning towards her intentionally pretending to do so in order to try and trick him into lowering his guard.

He refused to fall for it… regardless of how tempting it was.

The breakfast after was just like normal, Narukami-san hadn't yet started the cooking lessons since it hadn't been that long since the idea came up and he had informed them that he was going to be working towards gaining his standard vehicle licence so that would eat into his time a little.

Though he had agreed to pop over after school that day to start the cooking lessons.

Thankfully though, the first meal of the day did not have any stew involved so he was spared that particular tragedy before he was forced to make his way to school with Erica.

The journey was just as it normally was, relatively quiet but at the same time horrifically intimate as they simply walked together (mainly because he found it hard to remove her grip from his arm) in silence.

Eventually though they reached the school and the first thing either of them noticed was the crowd gathering around the small carpark that was mainly used by staff or students with bikes.

"Uh, Erica, why do I have a bad feeling about that?" he found himself asking the girl he had been walking with uncertainly.

"Because you are a pessimist," he found himself cringing at that claim, "you always assume the worst and are always trying to avoid whatever the issue is."

He couldn't bring himself to deny her words, probably because he knew she was being completely honest and he really did think of the worst possible outcome.

Like when he found out about another Campione going to his school, he had assumed that the other boy would attack him and they would end up destroying the school and killing everyone in it… and instead they had managed to hit it off almost like brothers (admittedly Narukami-san was the big brother but it was still like brothers as far as Godou was concerned).

"Hey, have you seen the transfers car?" he overheard a couple of girls talking and he suddenly had a sinking feeling in his gut.

"No," the response made him peel his ears in the hopes that he would hear the reason why everyone was currently gathered around a specific vehicle.

"It's a brand new BMW," Godou felt himself sink at that claim, the only transfer student they could be talking about was Narukami-san and he had mentioned that he was going to get a car off the History Compilation Committee, but he hadn't expected it to be something expensive like that… or for the boy to drive it to school so soon, "his family has got to be loaded."

"Really? I think he's single," and with that Godou found himself forcefully removing his attention from the two girls that were now talking about Yū's status on the dating market.

Sure he could've told them that they didn't stand a chance but that would just get him into even more trouble.

"Well, it appears we now know what the commotion is about," Erica seemed awfully amused as she made that claim before they noticed the crowd parting and their senpai walking their way.

"Good morning Kusanagi-san," the white haired teen called out almost as soon as he noticed them.

"Ah, good morning sempai," Godou found himself once again drawing attention as the older teen started to walk with him and Erica.

"Good morning Narukami-sama," Erica for her part was far more formal with the slightly older Campione, though that was probably just because of his status as a godslayer.

He knew it wasn't because of fear after all.

"Ah, there is no need to be so formal Blandelli-san," his response was pretty obvious as far as Godou was concerned, "I may technically be a king but even a king can walk among peasants as an equal when not dealing with stately matters."

Godou found himself looking around, hoping that no one was there to listen into the conversation and had to release a sigh of relief that no one had overheard.

Then again, it was Yū that was talking so he shouldn't have really been that surprised that the other boy hadn't brought any attention to them, he was clearly someone who had been keeping secrets for quite some time if what he knew of him was true.

"Perhaps, but I would rather not speak to you in such a familiar manner as you are  _not my king_ ," Godou found himself nearly tripping as the blonde made that claim… honestly he was both dreading her bluntness and relieved that it was Narukami-san that she was making the claim towards.

"Doesn't change the fact that you can use san instead of sama," the older teen was clearly not surprised by her claim and seemed to simply take it in his stride, "especially around the ignorant."

"Very well Narukami-san," the Italian girl conceded easily, "you do make a valid point about the ignorant."

The dark haired teen had to admit, it was strange seeing the girl concede so quickly, then again, it was also reassuring. If she argued then it would mean she was comfortable around the older teen and despite the felling that nothing would come of it even if it did happen, it made him relieved that the blonde Italian was still picking him over the other Campione at their school.

That thought however made him stall slightly.

Would she keep sticking by him if he kept pushing her away?

Sure he was simply afraid of getting tied down too early but it didn't change the fact that he was technically pushing her away on a regular basis… even if it was just because she wanted to go too fast for him to be comfortable.

No, he wouldn't let himself believe that, she had chosen him above all the other, more impressive Campione in the world and despite the amount of trouble she caused for him, he knew she was truly loyal to him.

He could tell simply by the bond they already shared, after all, if it wasn't a genuine thing then why would they both be capable of reading each other so easily?

"So Sempai… what's going on with your car?" he found himself asking now that he had finally managed to get his thoughts straight.

"The person they put in charge of buying the car got a top of the range one instead of a middle range one like I was expecting," the older teen admitted with a sigh, "and then he gave me a single lesson and gave me a full licence that was approved by the HCC… honestly I wouldn't be surprised if their drivers were dangerous."

Almost immediately Godou remembered Anna-san and how he always felt like he was going to die when she drove him anywhere and suddenly everything made sense.

It turned out the Japanese magical branches were far more lax in handing out licences than they should be.

Of course he knew that normally it would require a specific department to do such a thing but when dealing with a group that was technically capable of hypnotising people into doing what they wanted, they probably got a free pass on certain issues.

"… I'm actually not surprised," he admitted to the white haired teen who simply looked at him before offering a grim smile.

"Bad experiences?" the question was clearly rhetorical but he answered anyway.

"Yeah," he tried not to cringe as he thought of just how horrendous Erica's maid was at driving… the fact that she hadn't had an accident before was something he was still trying to get his head around given just how much of a miracle it was.

"Well, at least I can say that I've been driving a scooter for a while now so I'm at least safe enough on the road to make sure I don't cause any accidents," Godou found himself releasing a sigh of relief at that claim, "even if my  _instructor_ , didn't really go over any of the manoeuvres with me… honestly I'm planning on taking extra lessons so I can actually make sure I can do everything I need to."

Godou found himself once again feeling relief at the fact his sempai was so much more reasonable than the other members of the magical community he had previously met… honestly before him the most reasonable person he had met was Yuri and well… even she had her quirks and was incredibly unreasonable when it came to his and Erica's interactions.

That fact she always assumed he was a willing participant all of the time was rather unfair as far as he was concerned.

"Well, I'll see you at lunch Kusanagi-san, Blandelli-san," and with that, the older teen continued on his way to class as they reached the landing where they would have to separate.

"See you sempai," he acknowledged easily as Erica simply nodded in acceptance before they started making their way to class… and now it was time to have to put up with the glares of the Idiot Trio.

XXX XXX XXX

Shizuka frowned as she thought about the current situation.

She had a ticket to see Risette on her comeback tour despite the fact that the tour hadn't even been announced yet and it was all thanks to Narukami Yū.

However it just so happened that Yū-sempai's heart was already claimed by not one, but two girls… either that or he was simply a two timing liar.

Honestly, neither was particularly appealing to her.

Sure she could admit that even now the older teen was clearly the most impressive boy in school (not really that hard given just how bad the males in the school actually were), however he was no longer the perfect figure she had initially expected him to be.

But there was still something about him, an innate charisma that still made it hard to judge him negatively… and it was horrible to realise that.

She wanted to be angry at him for cheating on a couple of girls, she wanted to think of him as trash that wasn't worth the air he breathed… but she simply found that she couldn't.

Plus he had given her a ticket to Risette's comeback tour so that only made it even harder for her to be harsh on him.

She kept quiet during the lunch break, only speaking to thank the boy for the bento as she tried to sort out her thoughts.

Her brother, Erica and Mariya-senpai didn't seem to have any issues with what they learned previously, then again, their relationship was clearly not normal either so it could just be that giving them another perspective from her own.

Honestly the conversation wasn't worth noting, just the fact that the boy now had a car and a standard vehicle licence that allowed him to drive both himself and others around if he ever wanted to.

"Ah, sempai," her brother spoke up and she focused her attention back on him, "what are you going to do for the summer?"

"I'm going to return to Inaba and visit my friends there," it was a simple answer and she found herself wondering just what sort of things she would do in the small town… which she now realised was the town that Risette's last concert was held, "and how about you?"

"Godou and I shall be travelling over the holidays," Shizuka immediately found her eye twitching at the firm declaration from the European blonde.

"I see," Narukami-sempai didn't seem particularly put off by that claim though she did notice a hint of amusement in his tone, "just make sure you take the time to relax and don't do anything too stressful."

The youngest of the group found herself twitching at the fact that the oldest didn't seem to have any issues with the thought of whatever her brother and Erica would do during their journey and that honestly made her rather… uneasy?

It was like the teen had no issues with the thought that the two may very well get up to something… ecchi while they were away!

"What? How can you just be okay with this?!" Mariya asked disbelievingly, earning a blank stare off the oldest before he gave a very simple answer.

"They're both old enough to know the consequences," her mind froze at that claim. Consequences. That was something that she didn't actually think about that much, her brother was close to a couple of girls and she took that as him taking after their grandfather… but what were the consequences of that?

She briefly considered the thought of becoming an aunt within the year and her mind was once again made up.

She didn't want her brother going travelling with the European blonde!

"Onii-chan…" she growled out, knowing that he tended to give in when she did so… honestly sometimes he was just ludicrously spineless.

"W-what is it Shizuka?" his voice was clearly trembling, then again that was what she was hoping on.

"I don't want to become an aunt yet," she growled out, only for her brother to start spluttering before doing something she never expected him to.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE A FATHER YET!" his cry was far louder than she normally heard off him and all of a sudden, silence reigned on the rooftop as everyone suddenly began staring at the group.

"Uh… uh…" she could do nothing more than stare in shock as he started to cower at the attention now focused on him, she had not expected him to shout such a declaration with such desperation when she had made her statement but it appeared that he really  _didn't_ want to be a father yet… which begged the question of whether it was him or Erica that initiated their relationship.

She still blamed him for it but that was because he was probably still taking after their grandfather and the way he was always seducing the women of the area even without trying.

"Of course you don't," Erica started to speak in the same easy manner she always did, "you are still young and have no reason to be tied down with children yet."

She found herself narrowing her eyes at the blonde, despite her words, Shizuka didn't trust the girl to not try and tie her brother down through that very method.

After all… now that she thought about it, she had never seen Godou initiate anything with the girl, he was always on the receiving end and usually looking uncomfortable… she had just assumed it was because he was being caught by her but what if he really wasn't comfortable around the blonde? What if he was constantly being pushed into those situations and she had been misunderstanding everything about it… hell she had heard about how Erica was so completely dominant in all the sports so it was possible that she may be even stronger than her brother.

Dammit! Her mind was suffering too many troubles right now! She needed some time to think!

It didn't take long for the bell to ring though given the silence that stretched between the end of the conversation until then it was clear that Erica wasn't exactly fooling anyone with her statement.

So she shook her head clear before making her way back to class, wondering just what she was going to do to sort her thoughts out.

XXX XXX XXX

Arianna Hayama Arialdi found herself frowning as she waited for her master to return.

She had been informed that she was going to be receiving cooking lessons off the newest Campione and despite being told that the boy was simply an unbelievably good cook (she had even confirmed it by tasting some of the food he gave to Erica), it still stung.

Objectively she could honestly say that he was a better chef than she was but subjectively she found herself hating the fact that Erica considered it necessary for her to receive lessons.

She supposed that she was simply letting her pride overtake her mind, after all, up until now she had always been praised for her cooking (well, except for her stew but obviously they all simply found it too good to comment on), so to suddenly be told that she was going to be receiving lessons was quite the blow.

But in the end, she was Erica's maid and she would undertake these lessons because it was her job to do so, regardless of her pride.

"We have returned," the call of her master broke her out of her thoughts as she made her way to the front door before freezing at the sight before her.

Not only was Erica-sama and Godou-sama there, so was Mariya Yuri, Kusanagi Shizuka and Narukami Yū.

It was the last one that made her breath hitch.

She didn't know how, but there was just something about the eighth Campione that made her heart flutter and her mind start focusing on thoughts that shouldn't belong there.

She knew it wasn't an authority or the aura of a Campione that was doing this to her… no, it was something unique to the man himself, a charisma that permeated his very being and made him into more than just a person.

It made him something unique, something that she was sure no woman could resist if he tried to seduce them.

"Anna-san?" her mind snapped back to place upon hearing Godou call out her name in confusion, causing her cheeks to flush before she gave out a greeting.

"Ah, my apologies, I was not expecting guests," she tried to cover up her weakness, hoping that they didn't ask any further questions.

"That's fine," the Eighth Campione started to speak and she knew that he was not the same as the Seventh, the differences between their very demeanours and natural charisma was obvious to her.

That's not to say that Godou didn't have Charisma, but his was a very… special kind of charisma, the sort that only really made itself clear when you had spent a long time around him (though it usually required dangerous situations for it to really come out on top of the time it took).

"So I take it you are Arianna-san?" the oldest of the group asked easily and she gave a curt nod, her previous moments of weakness no longer affecting her as much as they had initially.

"Yes, Narukami-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you at last," she said with a formal bow, she had heard that the teen was a pleasant person and seemed to be content with balancing a normal life and his status as a Campione.

"So, I am supposed to give you cooking lessons," he claimed with an easy smile and she found herself no longer hating the fact that she was being made to train under this teen.

"Y-yes," she agreed before a thought popped into her head, "would you like to try my stew?"

"Alright then," she beamed a smile at the teen as he agreed to try her pride and joy.

XXX XXX XXX

There was never a point in time when Yū thought he would be happy to have tried Mystery Food X, however now he found himself thanking the kami that he had already been forced to try that abomination.

It had been the only thing that saved him from this maids stew.

"How is it?" she sounded far too proud and he found himself asking her one simple question.

"Have you ever tried your own stew?" he found himself dreading the answer.

"Yes, it's wonderful isn't it?" she stated chirpily and he found himself wondering just what was wrong with the girls taste buds to let her consider this… this  _thing_  wonderful.

"No," he decided to state it bluntly, realising that trying to dress it up nicely would only make her miss the point, "it's horrible."

"What?" she sounded disbelieving and the way her eyes were wide at his claim only made her look like someone had just told her her mother had been murdered, "no, that's not possible, Godou-san, Erica-sama, you agree that my stew is wonderful right?"

She looked at the two most experienced with her cooking and Yū noted the way they refused to meet her eyes or answer.

He could tell the look on her face meant that she couldn't believe what she was hearing, couldn't believe that the two people she was most associated with would turn their backs to her on this matter.

"Is that why you are always saying you're full?" her question towards the other Campione and the European knight was clearly one that indicated that she was hurt by the fact that they wouldn't defend her… or was that really it?

Was she really upset about the fact that her stew wasn't liked… or was she upset that no one told her? Honestly he didn't know her well enough to really tell.

Once again, the two that were more experienced with her food remained quiet as they refused to look at her.

"Oh come on!" he blinked upon hearing Shizuka call out in irritation, "there's no way it can be that bad!"

He decided to let her do what she was about to do, knowing that it was probably the only way to get her to accept the truth of the statement.

He wasn't in the least bit surprised when she nearly spat out the stew she had just tried before taking a deep drink of water and then nervously turning towards everyone else and making a sheepish statement.

"Eh, he… I guess I was wrong," he could tell from the way Arianna-san was deflating that she took that as a personal blow so he decided that it was time to simply end the conversation.

"Well, I think it's about time for me to start helping Arianna-san with her cooking," and with that he proceeded to simply enter the kitchen before noting that the black haired maid was still standing there with a downcast expression.

So he simply returned, grabbed her arm and pulled her into the food preparation area with Shizuka following, ready to learn as well.

XXX XXX XXX

Godou couldn't stop himself from cringing as the three returned with a pair of bowls, both held on a tray that was being carried by Yū-senpai himself.

Honestly, he had found his heart wrenching at the look on her face upon his refusal to support her stew… honestly he was sorely tempted to simply lie and say that it was wonderful, however he knew that doing so would simply render what Yū-senpai was doing worthless.

That's not to say that he was happy with the blunt way his senior stated the fact that her stew was horrible but he guessed that trying to sugar coat it would have made it harder to get her to accept what he was trying to teach her.

"All right, both Shizuka-san and Arianna-san have made some stew following my basic instructions," the grey haired teen stated calmly, "now it is time for the taste test."

Godou found himself flinching at the knowledge that there was going to be a taste test but he also found himself taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst.

"Now, the stew will not be the best," the complete lack of surprise on the faces of the two trainee's made it clear that they weren't expecting it to be, "since stew has a habit of improving overnight, but it should be at least acceptable."

Godou had to admit, he did not know that point about stew but he supposed Yū-senpai would probably know better than him.

"Now, Itadakimasu," and with that the bowls of stew were placed before him and Erica, who immediately found themselves hesitant to eat the meal before them… admittedly it was only because he wasn't sure Anna-san didn't somehow manage to ruin the dishes with some sort of supernatural power but it made him hesitate anyway.

But in the end, he tried the broth based meal and found himself clenching his eyes in expectation of the oncoming pain.

However he was greeted by a flavour.

It actually tasted like stew!

He found himself nearly crying in relief, however he also knew that it was possible the bowl he was given was Shizuka's but given Erica's surprised look, it was clear that she too had a stew that actually tasted like stew.

"So, how is it?" Narukami-sama, for that is the only title possible for someone that could defeat the horrors of Anna-san's stew, asked easily.

"It tastes like stew," was the first statement out of his mouth, "it actually tastes like stew!"

He immediately knew he said something wrong as both Yū and Shizuka wore small smiles… but Arianna simply looked downcast, almost depressed.

He just knew he would have to apologize to her soon.

XXX XXX XXX

Arianna had to admit, she had never expected everyone to hate her stew.

However despite that, what really hurt her was that no one had bothered telling her that her pride and joy was misplaced, that her stew was so horrible that no one wanted to eat it.

She really should have seen it given how long it took everyone to eat it, how Erica always claimed she was too full to eat it and so on and so forth.

But she had just been so blinded by her own love of her stew that she didn't even notice other peoples dislike of it.

Honestly it was probably the single most shocking revelation she had ever experienced herself.

Then again she hadn't been forced to face a god before.

"Anna-san?" she found herself breaking out of her thoughts upon hearing Kusanagi-san call her name.

"Ah, Kusanagi-san," she simply responded while trying to hide her despair, knowing that the boy probably came to apologize.

Honestly she knew he was a good person and didn't want to hurt her feelings, she knew that he wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone intentionally.

However that just made it hurt even more that he had hid it from her.

Really, it was knowing that he had been lying about her cooking and forcing himself to eat something he didn't like to make her happy that made her as upset as she was right now.

She prided herself in being the best maid she could be and knowing that she had been failing and no one had told her was simply… heart-breaking.

"Uh… about earlier," he seemed to trail off as if uncertain of what to say, then again he was probably trying to raise her spirits but in the end, it didn't really matter.

"It doesn't matter," she stated as bluntly as she could.

She wasn't surprised that he looked shocked at her claim, then again she knew that she wasn't good at hiding her emotions so saying that was probably one of the things that no one would expect.

"I made you eat something you hated for so long and you never told me," she claimed, earning a grimace off the dark haired teen, "but now I know… now I can get better and some day, I will make a stew that you will love!"

She had decided even before he arrived that she would improve, that she would make up for all the horrible stew's she made him eat by making ones that he would love and eat with a gusto.

First though, she would have to finish her lessons with Narukami-san and master the art of cooking, she didn't want to make something horrible anymore… she would just have to focus on making sure she didn't add too many conflicting ingredients anymore.

The relieved smile on Godou's face said everything to her right that moment though.

She might have been upset but she knew she would get over it soon and Kusanagi-san wouldn't have to worry about it.

She would become an even better maid than she already was and prove herself worthy of serving a King and his Queen.

XXX XXX XXX

Yū had to admit that time passed by quite quickly after that.

Between his extra driving lessons, teaching Arianna-san and Shizuka how to cook, doing homework and hanging out with Godou and the rest of his group, he found himself having plenty to do… though he still made plenty of time to call his friends whenever he had a chance (Yosuke definitely sounded jealous of his new car but that was fine, it was just the sort of person he was after all).

He was also certain that Godou was trying his hardest to prepare a trip out of the country and most importantly, away from Erica but that was pretty much all he knew about the situation concerning the younger Campione and his holiday.

He himself had prepared for the summer holiday and the situation was not one he would miss for the world.

Sure it would take the best part of a day to get there (especially since he was going to be driving), but he would be seeing his friends again and in the end, that was more important to him than anything else.

Plus he knew that even Rise was going to be there while her manager sorted out all the details concerning her comeback tour and the release of her new album.

But eventually, the last day of term came and he found himself sitting in the main hall, listening to the principle give a speech as he once again found himself zoning out while simultaneously looking for Godou and his group.

They weren't there but he was honestly expecting that… Godou would want to avoid interacting with Erica that day so he would be capable of escaping her and he had learned that he needed to go to her apartment every morning just to make sure she woke up for school.

Eventually though the speech came to an end and Yū found himself walking to his car with a smile on his face as he entered the driver's seat and started the engine, knowing that his suitcase was already in the back seat.

It was finally time for him to return to Inaba.

**Author's Note:**

> And that's all for now.  
> Shadow Out.


End file.
